audeamus
by ohwhatsherface
Summary: 50alternates. SasuSaku. See you in the next life. 50. In the end, they ran away together.
1. knight

**50alternates**

**Title: **Arthur and Lancelot fought but we're still cool…**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #15 knight  
**Word Count: **448**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

You are now the new ruler of the Land of the Leaves. You look down from your balcony and see your betrothed.

She was given to you by her father years ago to end a war between your kingdoms.

She is the fairest of them all with long, light, pink hair cascading over her shoulders with a mere gentle curl at the end. Her eyes are as clear as day and as green as the forests of his Land. She is young and beautiful and wise and delicate and pure and caring and—

You stop in your admiration for the woman because she may be young and beautiful and wise and delicate and pure and caring but the most evident thing about her is that she is sad.

She sits alone on a stone bench in the gardens, admiring the flowers there.

You have never loved Sakura.

You feel nothing but pity when you see a tear fall down her pale face.

And you feel no anger when you see your knight walk over to the crying maiden.

"_I don't want to marry him…"_ she whispers, more tears now falling while she stares up at the knight desperately.

You watch as Sasuke holds back from taking her into his arms. You see the inner battle on the young knight's face.

They are both too loyal to their king.

They are both too loyal to _you_.

"_I want to marry _you_," _says the woman who is to become your queen. _"I don't want a kingdom, I want you…"_

Sasuke doesn't move but Sakura does. She falls into him and sobs harder because the two of you are to marry the next day.

You are reminded of a fable the old wizard Jiraiya once recited to you when you were a young child. It was about a king and his queen and his knight and how his queen and his knight loved each other yet the king was quite ignorant to their affair. When the king learned of the affair, it led to his downfall. His queen was to burn at the stake but she was rescued by his knight. In the end though, no one seemed to be happy.

The king just disappeared.

The queen remained in a convent.

The knight became a hermit.

And all of them were alone.

"_I love you, I love you," _she repeats brokenly as her breathing becomes choppy and her delicate face becomes red and tearful. _"I love you—"_

You swallow and try to act ignorant—

"_I love you, I love you."_

—because regardless of how your queen and your knight feel, you still need to marry her.

"_I love you, too."_

-

-

_King Arthur. Guinevere. Lancelot. Duh._

_And Naruto wasn't supposed to come off as the bad guy. I hope he didn't..._


	2. immortal

**50alternates**

**Title: **two thousand four hundred and fifty nine **  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #13 immortal  
**Word Count: **830  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Lighter tones.

-

-

"You know, I'm surprised you've never gone a date with me before."

You quirk an eyebrow at your companion with amusement in your eyes because _wasn't she over you yet_?

(You're sure two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years of rejection could drive one woman away.)

"Seriously," Sakura continues.

The two of you watch as your charge—now reborn as a dumb blonde who has a habit of pulling pranks on people and not listening in school and pissing off girls—falls asleep when he is supposed to be working on his trigonometry homework. You both sit in the back of the classroom—behind your charge—while both wearing the school uniform to blend in while you guys protect the blond teenager like you always do.

"Two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years is a really long time, Sasuke-kun," she presses nonchalantly while writing her final answers in.

"Hn."

("Heh and you're probably still a virgin Sasuke," Kakashi—the teacher the two of you once had when you were _much_ younger—would say.)

"We have watched this soul get reborn _countless_ times," Sakura comments, finishing her homework.

(His name is Naruto now and he has spiky blond hair and pretty blue eyes. He is _always_ smiling and is _always_ considerate to everyone. That is constant though, between all of his lifetimes, the two of you come to notice. Naruto is _always_ born blond and blue-eyed, with beautiful smiles and a sad past of loneliness as he is always born an orphan. He _always_ marries his soul mate—the sweet girl with the dark hair and pale eyes and shy grin—and _always_ gains a position of leadership and _always_ attracts the same enemies with the same souls that you and Sakura _always_ have to defend him from and _always_ dies content and successful.)

She points the eraser of her mechanical pencil in front of you two to indicate who she is talking about.

"We're practically his _parents_."

The led you are writing with snaps and you turn your head to stare at Sakura coolly.

She still looks so young despite your real ages, you notice. Her hair is still pink and long and healthy and soft, and her eyes are still bright and clear and green and vibrant. Her face is still smiling like the past two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years, remaining glowing and wrinkles and _beautiful_.

(And that last fact is a wonder because watching over Naruto—that's his name in _this_ lifetime—is a very hard thing to do since that soul of his has a tendency of drawing too much danger.)

"But seriously!"

Sakura puts her finished sheet inside of your binder because she knows you're not going to bother with the work (you _do_ have two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years worth of knowledge so is there a point?) and then folds her hands under her chin to look at you.

"You and I should have gotten together _ages_ ago."

("UZUMAKI! WAKE UP _NOW_! DETENTION!")

You swallow at her bluntness and try to not look nervous.

"Hn."

Sakura rolls her eyes at your grunt. "And by now, _with_ your two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years worth of knowledge"—curse her and her psychic abilities!—"you should have a better vocabulary. Really, _'Hn'_, Sasuke-kun?"

You glare back at her.

"Well you still call me 'Sasuke-kun'," you hiss back.

You are suddenly annoyed and _angry_ but you don't know why.

"_And_ you're still stupid enough to be _in love_ with me."

("And now _this_ is why you're still a virgin…")

She recoils at that and what was her playful banter is now over because she knows that you are right.

She's still in love with you.

"Hn…" she says dully, because there's nothing _to_ say.

You immediately feel guilty for your harsh words. She turns back in her seat and sits with perfect posture and hands on the desk, looking forward at nothing. You almost sigh at your stupidity and rudeness. You really _do_ want to apologize but despite having been alive for two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years, you are still unable to _apologize_ correctly.

"Sakura…"

But the truth is that in the past two thousand four hundred and fifty nine years, you've grown—

Er…

…_Fond_ of her.

(You're in love with her but you're also a stubborn idiot so that whole admitting thing will probably take another few thousand years…)

You don't know if your words will come out right, but you continue anyways and make the best of what you can do.

"Naruto…" you mutter slowly. "He's always reborn an orphan… Maybe next time…"

You struggle.

(_Really_ struggle…)

"…You… and I… can… raise him…"

Your words come out more like a question but that's as close as you will _ever_ get (in this century) to 'asking her out'.

Regardless, you still get the desired effect.

("HARUNO! UCHIHA! NO SNOGGING IN MY CLASSROOM! DETENTION!")

-


	3. vampire

**50alternates**

**Title: **spike's got nothing on you, hun**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #42 vampire  
**Word Count: **627**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

I used to watch Buffy. Sure I was like, probably ten, but I thought the vampires were _cool_. YES THAT IS RIGHT.

-

-

"You are the worst slayer I have ever fought."

He's a _really_ pretty vampire. The prettiest I've ever seen. And I've seen _a lot_ of vampires…

(They all kinda want to kill me.)

I try to look angry at him but like, _come on_!

What self-respecting vampire walks around with his shirt not done up?!

Seriously! I mean this guy is beautiful and all (with his spiky dark hair and mesmerizing black eyes and snow white skin) don't get me wrong, but how can he criticize me when he…

He—

"You are easily distracted."

HIS SHIRT IS OPEN!

"And you are a _pervert_."

I blanch at _that_ insult and glare at that jerk of a vampire with all I've got.

(How _dare_ he call me a pervert?!)

"Listen, you bastard!" I yell. I stomp over to where he stands smirking at me and wave my stake around threateningly. "Y—You might have already gone through _your_ bout of puberty since you're like, I dunno, three hundred years old probably, but _I_ am still fifteen and therefore _I_ am _allowed_ to stare shamelessly at very pretty guys, _okay_?!"

I huff and cross my arms over my chest and—

OH CRAP DID I JUST TELL HIM HE'S PRETTY TO HIS FACE?!

"Like, what self-respecting vampire walks around with his shirt not done up?!"

There. I said it.

He looks down on me (because he's taller).

"Well what self-respecting slayer dyes their hair pink?"

I gasp loudly at that one and you can _hear_ the shock in my voice.

I try to stake him—

"How _dare_ you insult my hair?!" I scream, now _really_ fighting (and failing. Oh god. Tsunade—my Watcher—is never gonna let me hear the end of this…) him. "I'll have you know that my hair is all natural, and pink is a very beautiful color!"

"Hn."

We fight.

(And this time we actually _do_ fight, not that crappy verbal pseudo foreplay spar thing we just had going on right there. Like with the punches and the kicks and the staking and the crazy creepy to-an-extent sexy vampire fang-lunging—)

And oh sigh, _he wins_.

I grunt when I find myself pinned against the brick wall of the alley we're fighting against. My cheek rubs against the stones painfully as he crushes me there with my arms twisted agonizingly. He pushes away my hair and I can feel him breathing even though he doesn't even _need_ to.

(How dare he use up _my_ oxygen?!)

He holds me there for a few minutes.

(Friggin' jerk of a sadist, of a _typical_ vampire who just wants to see the slayer suffer—)

"Well are you gonna kill me or what?!" I bite out (no pun intended).

I can _hear_ him smirk as he presses his lips against my sensitive neck.

He parts his lips against me and kisses my neck dotingly while I bite my lip to keep from saying anything even more stupid than usual. He pokes his tongue out and licks at the skin before tauntingly dragging his fangs across my neck. He scratches me lightly though. Hard enough to make some kind of sensation but soft enough to keep from breaking the skin.

What the _hell_ is going on?!

He's a _vampire_!

He should be _killing me_—

Not _molesting_ me!

Hn!

What an idiot. No self-respecting vampire would let someone as infamous to his kind like me (the _Slayer_!) just get away. Especially when said vampire has me in his hold and ready to be killed at any given moment (er, not that I _want_ to die, I'm just saying…).

"You…" I mutter.

My teeth scrape against my cheek with how hard I am being pressed.

"You are the worst vampire I have ever fought."

-

-

_AUs are the best. I love making them. You make up a whole friggin' WORLD._


	4. snow queen

**50alternates**

**Title: **that's a pretty jacket you've got**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #39 snow queen  
**Word Count: **669**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Warning: USAGE OF THE 'GUY GIVES GIRL HIS JACKET' CLICHÉ

-

-

They are an odd and unexpected trio.

They are a demon hunter and a priestess and a fox demon.

They share a common goal and that is to stop the Akatsuki from freeing the Nine Destruction Demons who they would have under their control, helping them to gain rule over the Realms.

"Why is it so _cold_?!"

The fox demon sighs loudly.

He is Naruto Uzumaki and is one of the few Cursed who were used as containers for the Destruction Demons at birth. He is blond and blue-eyed and loud and cheerful. He is smiley and caring and affectionate and always protects his friends _no matter what_.

"Ugh, guys!"

The dark-haired demon hunter who never seems to truly hunt all demons like his job says he is supposed to, and the green-eyed priestess who is not exactly as kind and as gentle as most priestesses usually are, both pointedly ignore their dumb blond fox demon friend.

"Seriously!"

The demon hunter twitches in annoyance.

His name is Sasuke Uchiha and he has dark hair and dark eyes, his pale complexion making a contrast against his features. He is quiet and contemplative and dashingly handsome. He is strong and loyal and above all,_ vengeful_.

"It's _freezing_!"

The priestess rolls her eyes.

She is Sakura Haruno. She has beautiful and rare pink hair and bright clear eyes. She is not like most priestesses who simply bless and heal because she was taught by Tsunade-sama and therefore she is able to _fight_.

"This is—"

The priestess finally snaps and whacks the demon over the head with her staff and then presses an ofuda of sorts against the forehead of the blond, taking away his ability to speak with some of her spiritual powers.

'HEY! WHAT DID YOU DO?!'

His lips move but no words come out.

Neither the demon hunter nor the priestess pays him heed though so his words are ignored.

The demon hunter smirks at the silence and crosses his arms over his chest because even though he did not verbally agree with the fox demon—

It _was_ freezing.

"It is because you are used to the warmth of the Fire Realm," says the priestess.

The priestess is not reading his mind, the demon hunter realizes after a moment, but is providing an answer for the complaints the fox demon made earlier.

She steps through the snow but does not sink in, unlike her companions. The priestess turns her head and smiles rather maliciously to try and scare the two of them but makes no effect because one kills demons for a living and one _is_ a demon.

"We are in the domain of the Snow Queen now."

The demon hunter looks at her coolly.

"Hn."

'IT'S STILL REALLY COLD YOU TWO! AND SAKURA-CHAN, CAN I TALK YET?!'

The demon hunter and the priestess and the fox demon walk through the while cold mountains of the Snow Realm, trying to find another dormant portal. The one that they came through to get to the Snow Realm was shattered after they passed through it in order to get away from pursuing Akatsuki members.

He glances at the priestess who is leading them around, momentarily wondering how she knew so much about all of the Realms.

He notices her shiver.

Ah, the demon hunter muses, it appears that the priestess found that it was freezing as well—

"You are cold," he says monotonously.

'WE'RE _ALL_ COLD YOU MORON!'

The priestess looks back at him because he is the only one able to talk. Her face turns reddish and the demon hunter is not sure if it is because she is just that cold or because she is blushing.

It is probably the latter—

"I am fine," the priestess replies defiantly.

'YOU LIE SAKURA-CHAN!'

"Hn."

The demon hunter unbuckles the front of his warm cape and takes it off. He throws it over her shoulders.

She looks back at him to thank him.

He looks away shyly.

'KISS HER YOU DUMBASS!'

-

-

_Oh scoreage, tomorrow is Halloween! I'm gonna be a witch…LIKE THE PAST BUNCH OF YEARS OF MY LIFE. Sigh._


	5. villain

**50alternates**

**Title: **welcome to wonderland  
**Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #21 villain  
**Word Count:** 676  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

She sat up abruptly and looked around sharply, trying to identify her surroundings.

"Where am I?" she said to no one, still sitting in the ground.

"You are in one of the Wonderlands."

Sakura looked to the direction she heard a reply from with a crazed expression on her face.

"W—What?"

A boy stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself in all his smoldering-eyed and smirking beauty.

"The Wonderlands," he repeated. "Different lands, all full of many wonders. You are in one."

"Who are you?" she inquired.

"I am Sasuke, the Realm Master."

Sakura sat up and tried to look as dignified as a girl in a hospital gown could, trying to straighten out the white dress—

Her eyes widened as when she ran her hands over the clothing to find she no longer wore the modest and plain outfit of the hospital she was supposed to be at. Her outfit was black and silky and velvety and covered in ribbons and—

Well no longer modest, nor plain.

"What are the Wonderlands?" she asked him, oddly not afraid even though a voice in her head was telling her she _should_ be.

He rolled his beautiful black eyes at her question.

"I _just_ told you. Lands of wonder are the Wonderlands."

Sakura looked around wearily, observing the world around her. The sky was orange red with darker colored clouds in the sky, and a big, bright and _haunting_ moon floating about. All around them were little visible particles that moved away when approached. The ground was a depressing shade of black and what was left of plantation was all dead or on its way to dying.

The place was lifeless.

"How is _this_ place a land of wonder?" Sakura kicked away a dried up tree branch and shivered. "There is nothing neither wonderful, nor wondrous about this place at all!"

Sakura turned to glare at him defiantly but paused to look at his features.

He was taller than her, maybe by a whole head. His black hair was spiky and his bangs were covering his dark eyes. He wore a dark grey peasant shirt, black slacks and a black overcoat to finish his ensemble. He had multiple belts (probably into bondage, she mused mockingly) and held a large sword over his shoulder.

"Hn."

The man smirked and swung his sword before Sakura could even comprehend him moving.

"There are nine Wonderlands. Nine Realms…" he explained, digging the weapon into the dirt. He waved his hand and suddenly the particles that were floating gathered up to form pictures for the man. "For example, there is one Wonderland that is controlled by the Puppet Master, and the then there is the Realm of Jashin ruled by the monster, Hidan."

Sakura swallowed because neither of the two places he mentioned seemed very wonderful.

"And what is this world?"

His smirk grew wider and more malicious.

"This is the Realm of Tsukuyomi."

Sakura did not like his grin—

"It was previously controlled by my brother."

"I see." She gulped nervously when he slowly stepped towards her, fingering the handle of his blade. "And why do you say 'previously'?"

He was then standing right in front of her, looking down at her patronizingly while she stared back up, trying to look strong.

"The Realm Master is in charge of ridding his or her realm from possible threats, like inhabitants who are getting too strong—"

Sasuke lifted her by the chin with his hand and softly rubbed her cheek.

"—or people who do not belong."

Sakura inhaled sharply and froze abruptly against his gentle caress.

Sasuke smiled.

"You're going to kill me," Sakura whispered frightfully, "aren't you?"

Unconsciously, her eyes shut and she fell into the warmth of his pleasurable touch.

Her words did not come out like a question, like she had intended for them.

"Hn…"

She opened her eyes immediately and was greeted by the sight of his—

_Red_.

"You—"

Sasuke bent his head down to her level, his lips almost touching her ear.

"You should run."

-

-

_tbc_

_HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!_


	6. prince

**50alternates**

**Title: **a royal pain, part 1**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #16 prince/princess  
**Word Count: **2166**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

The gathering for the eighth birthday of Prince Sasuke of the Leaf Kingdom had been quite the extravagant one. Unbeknownst to the young innocent prince who looked quite annoyed along with the young daughters of kings from neighboring kingdoms and the lords and ladies of his own, Sasuke's parents were trying to find a suitable princess or lady to choose as his intended while his older brother, Prince Itachi, was keeping on eye on him, making sure he wasn't running away from the party to train with his sword-play.

Itachi gestured to a blonde princess who wore a scowl that's annoyance could match his brother's.

"This is Princess Temari of the Sand Kingdom."

Biting back what was probably going to be a snide remark, Temari did a curtsy in her lilac ball gown.

Looking just as bored, Sasuke bowed to her politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Temari."

Sasuke grimaced as he spoke, and with clenched fists, looked down at the floor.

Smirking, Itachi nudged his brother.

"Sasuke," he chided. "Where are your manners?"

Sasuke spared his older brother, the future heir of the Leaf Kingdom, a menacing glare before grabbing the Sand Princess' hand. He sucked in his lips and touched her hand with his skin to make it looked like he kissed her.

He immediately stomped away from her, trying to run to his room but his brother grabbed the hem of his cape before he could run. "Not so fast, Sasuke, we are no where _near_ finished." Itachi pushed him over to another girl. She was wearing a blue dress and staring at the floor with a dark flush on her face. "And this, little brother, is Lady Hinata," Itachi introduced in a bored tone, "The first daughter of Lord Hiashi of the Leaf Kingdom."

Hinata's face became even redder when the two princes looked at her, scrutinizing. "I—It's nice to me—meet you… Prince S—Sasuke…" She curtsied afterwards.

"You as well, my lady," Sasuke muttered, kissing her hand as well. After she walked away to go see her father, Sasuke glowered at his brother. "Can I go _now_?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, you may not." Itachi dragged his brother over to another girl. "This is Lady Ino, the only daughter of Lord Inoichi of the Leaf Kingdom."

All he wanted to do was _leave_! Before the blonde girl could even pull at her pink gown and do her curtsy like the others did, he grabbed her hand and pecked it. As his brother and Lady Ino looked at him in shock, he took advantage of the situation and ran away, into the crowds of people.

Itachi cursed under his breath when he lost sight of his brother.

"Where did that brat go?" Sasuke heard his older brother grumble as he hid behind the large gown one woman was wearing. Snickering, the young prince ran for the door leading into the castle hallways.

It was easy to get out of the castle since everyone was in the ballroom, celebrating his birthday. With his sword latched onto his leather belt, Sasuke ran into the dark forest to go to the spot where he usually trained. It wasn't so far away that if he were beat after a day of training, he wouldn't be able to make it, but it wasn't so close that if searched for, he would be found in an instant. When he reached a small clearing that was shaded by high trees, Sasuke took off his cape so it wouldn't get in the way.

Suddenly, a flash of pink and purple sparkles in the dark, night sky caught his eye. Frowning, Sasuke decided to investigate, noticing that it was about a quarter mile away.

"What was that?" he mumbled to no one.

Part of him was curious and was eager to see what happened there, but the other scared.

He remember when how when he was much younger, his brother had told he and Naruto a certain legend of the Forest of Death.

Naruto was the orphaned son of the Leaf Village's former General, Minato Kamikaze, who had died in combat to help protect the village. He fought alongside King Fugaku and died, taking a fatal blow for the King. Feeling ever indebt to him, the King took Naruto into his care, raising him like a prince alongside Sasuke and Itachi.

When the boys were both three and were pestering Itachi, asking him to take them camping in the forest, Itachi shook them off his back by telling the pair a story that most of the kingdom's inhabitants told their children to keep them out of the forests.

About thirty years ago, a young sorceress of the castle who was plagued with grief when her husband died protecting the kingdom fled into the forests along with her young niece who she had been treating like a daughter. Rumors said that she blamed the death of her lover on the Kingdom and despised the Leaf, and all who were from it. Although she and the child she left with were never heard of or seen again, villagers feared them. They thought that the reason they were unheard of or unseen of was because the sorceress used her magic for evil and killed anyone who came across her.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Sasuke mumbled, looking up at the sky when he saw another spark in the sky.

Suddenly, something shot out of the forest and Sasuke saw the large, scaly, slithery body of snake.

"Yep, I'm gonna die," Sasuke muttered when it was about three feet from his body.

He grew even more nervous when he saw how large the snake was. Its head was as big as he was, and he didn't even want to figure out how long it could possibly be. Sasuke bit his lip, annoyed that he didn't take into consideration all the warnings about the forest of death his mother gave him. Going far into the woods was never recommended because there were creatures in there that could kill a person, even eat them.

He flinched but dodged when the snake reared its head at him, ready to eat him.

"Crap!"

The snake made a second attempt to hit him but once again, Sasuke was able to move out of the way.

"Get down!" someone yelled.

"Huh?"

The eight-year-old prince turned around, momentarily forgetting about the snake. Behind him stood a woman who couldn't be older than twenty-five; she had long, blond hair tied into two pig tails and hazel eyes, glaring at the monster behind him. She wore a long green robe over a grey and teal dress. In one hand she held a long, metal staff with an emerald-like item at its tip. She raised her free arms forward and it began to glow green.

"I said duck you dumb brat!" she screamed anxiously.

Sasuke quickly moved to lie on the floor so she could get rid of the snake. With one punch from her, the giant snake went flying backwards, knocking over multiple trees.

"Don't move," she muttered to Sasuke, not even sparing him a glance.

Suddenly, with a hiss, the large snake went to attack them again but the woman quickly whacked it right over its head, hard, with her staff. The jewel at its tip began to glow red as she pressed it against the injured reptile.

"I command you to return back where you belong!"

Sasuke blinked in bewilderment, amazed when dark seals began to form over the snake's large body and it began to glow, as did the woman's staff.

"That woman… Sh—She's a…" Sasuke swallowed a lump in his throat. "She's the Sorceress…"

Immediately, the snake disappeared in and the woman let out a sigh of relief. She wiped her brow with one sleeve and glanced at Sasuke.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?"

He nodded slowly.

"Yes, I am… Thank you."

Sasuke looked at her nervously.

"Who are you—"

The sorceress narrowed her eyes at the grass behind Sasuke but before she could move him away, a smaller snake came out from the field and clamped its teeth at the young prince's neck.

"AH!"

He let out a pained and terrified scream as the creature retreated and the boy fell to the floor.

"Damnit!" she yelled as she tried to attack the snake but it got away quickly.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Though his vision was blurring out of pain, Sasuke noticed to people running towards him. One was a woman, maybe nearing her mid-twenties with short, dark hair wearing a black robe. She was holding the hands of a girl who Sasuke thought was his own age, with long, pink hair in a red dress.

"What happened here?"

"Shizune, I need your help with this," the woman named Tsunade, the sorceress, said gravely. "He was just cursed by a snake, and if I am not mistaken, it was done by—"

"—the Forbidden One…" the brunette concluded in a low voice. "Orochimaru…"

The little girl gasped. "Sister Shizune, you spoke the forbidden name!" she whispered, looking around the Forest of Death, fearful that someone was eavesdropping. She peered at the fallen boy and touched him with one finger; her nose wrinkled as she frowned. "Lady Tsunade, Sister Shizune… He is a lost cause."

Tsunade glanced down at the boy on the floor, curled into a fetal position, clutching the snakebite painfully. He whimpered and let out a strangled cry.

"Despite your visions, Sakura, we will have to change fate for once. That boy is Prince Sasuke of the Leaf Kingdom… I'm afraid that we must do almost everything in our power to save him." She tapped the child's forehead. "Remember Sakura, as long as someone tries to make a difference, your visions can be wrong." She looked over to Shizune. "Now, your assistance?"

"But Master Tsunade, neither you nor I have to power to break a cursed seal made by the Forbidden One!" Shizune exclaimed.

"I know that," the blond woman muttered. She frowned. "I will not rid him of it, but right now, I will have to try and seal it away."

"How will you do that, Lady Tsunade?" asked Sakura in a small voice. "You said that you 'suck at sealing things," she pursed her lips thoughtfully and innocently, "so you just kill them'…"

The sorceress twitched as the younger of her two apprentices mocked her by quoting her words from before, while Shizune, despite the seriousness of the situation, let out a quiet snort.

"Ne, Sakura, now isn't the time to doubt Lady Tsunade," Shizune chided.

"Yes but…" She stepped closer, the tip of her foot touching the boy's fallen body. "Lady Tsunade—" Sakura froze and her eyes glazed over. When she returned back to normal, she blinked profusely and stared passed Tsunade's shoulder.

"What did you see this time Sakura?" asked Shizune in a gentle voice; Sakura was always a bit jumpy after her visions came to her.

She chewed on her lip. "There was a man… He put his hand at the back of the boy's neck and then the boy screamed…" Sakura mumbled. "They were in a dark place. There were candles, and the ground has characters written in blood on it… The boy was sitting in the middle of it all and the man sealed away the snake bite mark…"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her. "What did the man look like?"

"H—He had silver hair… And he was wearing a mask, Lady Tsunade," Sakura explained. "He didn't look like an old man but with hair like his, he should be… He looked rather young though, about a couple years less than Sister Shizune." She shrugged. "He kind of reminded me a scarecrow."

"Kakashi," Tsunade whispered. She nodded, confirming her belief with Sakura's description. "Yes, Sakura, if your vision goes as planned, the curse mark will be sealed away by Sir Kakashi of the Leaf." The woman glanced back down at the prince who had now fallen unconscious and let out a sigh. "Ne, Shizune, it looks like we will be returning to the Leaf Kingdom once again…"

Sakura stared at her master with confusion.

"The Leaf Kingdom, Lady Tsunade?"

She nodded. "Yes Sakura. That is where Shizune and I used to live before we moved into the forest."

"Did I once live there, too?"

Shizune frowned and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "No, Sakura. You have always lived in the forest with Lady Tsunade and me." She knelt down to the pink-haired girl's level when she noticed her look a bit sad. "You have never lived in the Leaf Kingdom's main villages, but you are from there."

"Really?" Sakura perked up.

Tsunade bent down and picked up the boy. His already white skin was freezing, and paler than normal, while his forehead was doused with sweat.

"He's really sick."

She turned to the other two girls.

"Come along Shizune, Sakura."

_TBC_

**

* * *

**

I'm back. Now, seriously, just don't give me a review telling me how Naruto and Sasuke's roles should be switched because Naruto is the son of the Hokage, yada, yada, okay? 


	7. ghost

**50alternates**

**Title: **welcome to wonderland, part 2  
**Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #32 ghost  
**Word Count: **609**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

She could not run anymore.

It was _pointless_ to run.

With little spirit left, Sakura dropped onto the dead ground of the Realm of Tsukuyomi, letting out broken sobs.

"Why did you stop?" he asked from behind her, his voice smooth and condescending.

Sakura felt him hovering over her hunched form.

She could picture him perfectly.

He would be standing with his nearly perfect posture, right behind her. His dark unruly hair would be covering his malicious _red_ eyes. His grey shirt would be wrinkled slightly from running after her and his dark overcoat would have small spots of dirt on it. His sword would he hauled over his right shoulder and he would be—

_Smirking._

Sakura squeezed her eyes tightly, the made up picture in her mind, scaring her.

She was only panicking herself.

"Stand up," Sasuke ordered—

_Gently?_

"You are being too submissive."

Sakura whimpered when he grabbed her arm with his free hand, and yanked her up roughly. He then turned her body to face him. Sasuke wrapped his long fingers around her leather choker-clad neck, tilting her head so she would be forced to look into his frightening eyes.

"You are no fun when you are acting like this."

Her clear green eyes narrowed at him defiantly.

"I am _not_ your plaything you bastard!"

Sasuke looked amused by her outburst.

"Aa, it would appear that you still have some spirit left."

Before she could say something back, he threw her back down to the ground and pointed the tip of his sword at her.

Sakura closed her eyes tiredly.

"Why are you doing this…" she whispered brokenly.

A tear streamed down her face and Sasuke's demeanor did not change.

Sakura's eyes show open and she grabbed the blade with her glove-clad hands.

"What the hell do you _want_ from me?!"

Her scream echoed throughout the lands. The caws of the crows sitting in the dead black trees played over her scream as they flew around in the sky, frightened by her shout.

Or perhaps not frightened at all.

_Excited?_

And suddenly, at the sight of the crows, Sasuke froze.

"Get up," he hissed, getting into a fighting stance.

"What—"

"Get up!"

When she ignored his order, glaring at him defiantly, Sasuke yanked her up once again, and then moved in front of her.

Sakura frowned, noticing how tense he was.

"What are you—"

"Whatever you do," Sasuke began, is husky voice cutting her off. "Stay behind me."

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

He turned back his head to glare at her.

"_Listen to me_," he hissed. "Just stay behind me."

"Or _what_?" Sakura asked back rebelliously.

Sasuke smirked sadistically, an odd bitterness in his red eyes.

"Or you will die."

Before she could ask what he was talking about, the crows in the air suddenly began circling the two, never touching them directly, but almost. Sakura watched in slight fascination as a group of them gathered in front of Sasuke and began to form the shape of a man.

She felt Sasuke tense even more.

"You're supposed to be dead," Sasuke muttered venomously. "I _killed_ you—"

"Apparently not."

Sakura peeked over Sasuke's shoulder and saw a man who looked quite similar to him, maybe a few years older. His hair though, was more kept back than Sasuke's, being longer and put back into a ponytail. He wore an ensemble of black; a shirt, pants, and a long overcoat. And like Sasuke, his eyes were frightening. They were compelling and disturbing and malicious and—

_Red_.

"Hn…"

The man smirked in a fashion similar to Sasuke's.

"Foolish little brother…"


	8. apprentice

**50alternates**

**Title: **royal pain, part 2**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #7 apprentice  
**Word Count: **1077**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

So at first, this series was going to be a story. I wrote the first chapter a long time ago, but it needed _lots_ of revising and to be split into parts. This series is gonna be a long (ish) one. Maybe about eight parts?

* * *

Ever since she knew how to walk, talk and understand things, Sakura sought adventure.

She craved friendships, fame, love and romance. She had never particularly felt anything other than family love from the people she had labeled as her surrogate family. Eight-year-old Sakura lived in a small cottage located deep inside the Forest of Death, with her teacher and master, a famed sorceress in the Leaf Kingdom, the great Lady Tsunade, and the first apprentice of her teacher, the woman who Sakura called Sister Shizune.

The Forest of Death was located right beside the Leaf Kingdom, and once a Leaf citizen stepped into the forest grounds, away from the safety of the Kingdom guards, they were on their own to fend from the terrors of the dark woods.

Friendship was merely a thing she read about. Reading was a hobby of the young sorceress-in-training's. Sakura loved to read and learn new things, whether they were new forms of magic, herbs that could be found in the wilderness to random, human emotions. She learned about fame when she heard Lady Tsunade reminiscing on her younger days, when she used to live in the Leaf Kingdom. Apparently, back in her prime, Lady Tsunade was the personal helper in the castle. Lady Tsunade had assisted the King on making the right decisions and when attacks were made, she kept them away with her magic. Love and romance were also learned through books. She had seen Sister Shizune reading an orange-colored novel and curiosity decided to get the best of her; when Sister Shizune went to bed, Sakura snuck away with the book and red it in her room.

"Now, Sakura…" Shizune drawled.

She bent down so that she was at the younger girl's height.

"No matter what you see or hear in the castle, I do not want you to worry about anything. If someone raises a sword to you, I do not want you to try and injure him or her back. I know you are stronger, but there is no need to let everyone else know as well." She stood back up. "Oh, and another thing, do not say anything to anyone if you get a vision."

"Of course, Sister Shizune," she responded obediently.

The eight-year-old played with the hem of her red tunic as she stared at the young prince riding on _her_ horse. He was still unconscious like he had been for the past two days. Tsunade had made the decision to bring him to their cottage and treat the fever he was getting before bringing him back to the Leaf Kingdom.

Sakura couldn't help but feel very excited about the trip they were making to the foreign place despite Shizune and Tsunade's disinterest in returning. She did not know much about her own history. Her parents were unknown things to her as was how she ended up living with her teacher and the girl she called her sister. All Sakura did know about the Leaf Kingdom is that it had been rule for the past thirty years by King Fugaku and would later be managed by Prince Itachi. She knew that Tsunade was quite young when she left the Leaf Kingdom to live in a small home in the Forest of Death, and at the time, Shizune was even younger than she.

"Lady Tsunade," Sakura called quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping prince.

"What is it, Sakura?" she replied, not looking back.

"Why must we return the boy to the Leaf Kingdom?" questioned the sorceress-in-training.

She smiled at her master when Tsunade turned to look at her skeptically.

"Why can't he just stay with us at the cottage? He could be my new playmate!"

Shizune frowned and made a response before Tsunade.

"Are you lonely, there in the forest, Sakura?"

She shrugged and looked at the ground meekly, her cheeks slowly turning red. "I didn't mean to imply anything bad, Sister Shizune. I like it very much in the forest, living with you both, and I have many creature friends. And besides, the slugs I summon are always keeping me company…"

Sakura twiddled her thumbs.

"I just want a playmate who can… talk…"

Tsunade sighed and put a hand on Sakura's head. "If given the chance, child, would you let us leave you behind in the Leaf Kingdom?" The older woman pointed to the tall, stonewalls that were coming into the view and the castle guards who were staring down at them. She even caught a glimpse of the king himself. "There are many, many people in the Leaf Kingdom, Sakura. There are tons of children who could be your playmates there. Is that what you would like, Sakura?" Tsunade looked at her with a firm gaze. "Is to stay in the Leaf Kingdom what you would like?"

Green eyes widened fearfully.

"Y—You're going to…" Her voice lowered down to a whisper. "Leave me?"

"No!" Shizune immediately shouted. She walked closer to Sakura and grabbed her hand. "Sakura, we would _never_ leave you behind!" She glared up at Tsunade. "How could you possibly say something like that to her?" She hugged Sakura to her body.

"If what she wants is to be around people, Shizune, then you must acknowledge that desire," Tsunade scolded. "It's only human to want affection."

She frowned at the pink-haired girl who went back to walking beside the prince.

"That is the only person other than you and I who Sakura has come into contact with since she was _born_," Tsunade muttered to the dark-haired woman beside her. "You are being selfish by forcing her to stay with us."

"I am doing what's best for her," retorted Shizune with equal vigor.

This was a verbal spar she would not lose.

"Shizune—"

"Lady Tsunade, that is enough," Shizune said curtly. "The decisions of Sakura's welfare will be made by me."

Tsunade let out an exasperated sigh. "Shizune, by keeping her away from the world, you're only making her more vulnerable to the evils."

"Then I will protect her."

"She thinks of you as her _sister_!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"That does not matter…" She looked back at Sakura who was smiling at the dark-haired boy.

Ignorant to the tension between her 'sister' and master, Sakura moved hair away from the boys face. He was lying across the horse, and Sakura wondered for a moment if he was comfortable.

She giggled with childlike innocence in her soft voice.

"I'll protect you, Sasuke-kun."

_TBC_

* * *

Hm... Miraculous conception, maybe? All in the time for the Christmas season.

**Also. When I write 'TBC' at the end of something, that means 'To Be Continued', therefore, yes, it _will_ be continued.**


	9. sun god

**50alternates**

**Title: **it's just honor **  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #40 sun god  
**Word Count: **590**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

So we've been reading the Iliad in school and well, I've fallen in love with it. I can't wait to read the Odyssey! I think Shikamaru would be a perfect Odysseus.

…

…

Slowly he walks to the temple of the great Sun God. The tall, stone building rests on the cliff looking over the sea. The sun is almost completely set, he observes, watching the reddened orb fade away behind the vast seas. The water glimmers beneath its orange rays, reminding him of the voyage he will soon make. He walks down the dirt path leading to the many, many stairs of the temple, overcoming the good hundred steps quickly and finally reaching the large doorway.

The room is dark without the sun in the sky any longer, but still dimly lit with the torches on the walls. He walks inside, slowly at first, with his footsteps echoing along the high walls.

He finds her kneeling in front of the Sun God's statue, her forehead practically touching the cold ground. He removes his helmet and bows his head in respect to the great divinity, whispering under his breath a few words of praise.

"You should not be here so late," he murmurs to her praying form.

She does not move from her spot.

"Sakura," he calls, his tone somewhat agitated. "Get up."

Slowly, she does so. She looks immaculate in her loose, white robes with the red, silken sash he had given her long ago tied below her chest, and golden bangles on her arms. Her long, pink hair is tied at the base of her neck by a simple ribbon with loose tendrils curling slightly around her bowed, porcelain face.

Finally, she lifts her head and faces him. She meets her dark eyes with her own and he almost wishes he didn't have to leave.

"What are you doing here so late?" he questions, taking a step closer to her.

"Praying, Sasuke," she replies in a quiet voice, looking down at her sandaled feet. "I was praying for you."

Sasuke frowns. "Why?" He puts his thumb beneath her chin and gently lifts her head. "You do not need to—"

"Must you go?" she cries, her voice wavering. Her shoulders tremble almost unnoticeably but he is a trained soldier and he can see even the most inconspicuous actions. "This isn't your battle!"

"Aa." Gently, he caresses her cheek and brushes a stray lock of hair away from her face. "It is not, but you must understand, Sakura, this is not about that foolish king or his fickle wife." He sighs and hopes she could understand him. "This is about honor—"

"Honor?!" Sakura exclaims. She takes a step back, away from his comforting hand. Her eyes water as she shakes her head wildly. "Honor, you say? What is honor to a dead man, Sasuke?"

His eyes harden for a moment, insulted by her assumption of his unlikely downfall. He opens his mouth to lash out at her for being so doubtful and foolish, but the tears in her eyes slowly trek down her rosy cheeks and his angry resolve breaks. His shoulders slacken and he sighs tiredly.

"I will come home," he tells her firmly. He grabs her wrist and pulls her to him. Tenderly, he wraps his arms around her in a loose embrace, resting his chin on her head as she sobs into his armored chest. "Just wait for me, Sakura."

She says nothing and they stay in their warm hold for minutes longer.

"_Will_ you wait for me?" he questions, almost fearing the answer.

"What?" Sakura lifts her head and frowns at him. "Of course I will!"

He kisses her forehead chastely and his grip tightens. "Thank you."

…

…


	10. treasure

**50alternates**

**Title: **Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #19 treasure  
**Word Count: **922**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or the parallels to The Pirates of the Caribbean that may show up here.

…

…

"So what _are_ you, exactly?" Naruto asked. He looked expectantly at the woman seated across from him while wiggling defiantly in the ropes that bound him. He frowned at the constriction and sent a glare at the bulky orange-haired pirate who had tied him up. Naruto's blue gaze returned to the woman and moved down to her right arm and the red marks along it. "How come the water burned you? That's never happened to you before…"

Sakura looked away from him and stared at the large ship they were approaching.

"This is different," she murmured, not wincing when the high waves of the stormy night sent sprinkles of water onto her, searing her porcelain skin. "This is seawater, not freshwater, Naruto."

She gave him an eerie smile.

"But if you must know my secret, then I will tell you that I am not exactly human."

Naruto frowned back at her and opened his mouth to retort but forgot his question when he observed his surroundings. The boat that he and Sakura had been hauled upon was large and great, with black sails and a crew of fearsome looking pirates. When his mother was still around, he remembered her nighttime stories of the ship with black sails and crew of the damned and a captain who was even worse.

His eyes drifted to Sakura as she glared straight ahead while ignoring the lustful leers the men were sending her way.

"What is this ship?" Naruto asked, not quite expecting her to give him an answer.

Sakura's eyes narrowed further as she replied, "It is—"

"The Kusanagi."

Naruto looked behind him and saw who he presumed to be the captain of the ship.

While he may have been shorter than some of the other crew members, and looked particularly lanky in a sense, he gave off an intimidating aura. His pale face was framed by ebony spikes that matched his dark eyes and equally dark clothing.

"Who are you?" Naruto questioned with a slight snarl. He had always been a defiant one. When he was still on his home island, he had always been getting in trouble for his outspokenness. The man spared him a glance before looking back at Sakura while speaking. Naruto, noticing he was being ignored, turned to Sakura in confusion. "Sakura?"

Her thin lips pulled into a bitter smirk and she glared at the stranger.

"Naruto," she drawled, stepping towards the pirate before her. "Meet the greatest traitor in history."

"It's Captain Sasuke Uchiha, actually," the pirate corrected apathetically.

He then smirked slightly and moved closer to Sakura. He met her eyes briefly before possessively bringing a hand to the back of her neck and snaking his fingers into her pink hair. He brought her head forward and pressed his lips against hers harshly in a cruel mockery of an intimate kiss. It wasn't so much a lustful action as it was a show of dominance.

Naruto looked away, disgusted. He wanted to lash out but knew Sakura would only chastise him for being defiant in what was clearly a bad situation.

"I should kill you where you stand," Sakura hissed through bruised lips when he finally let her pull away. She moved to slap him but the ropes around her wrists prevented her from doing so.

"Perhaps you should," he murmured.

Sasuke raised a hand and he visibly frowned when she flinched, assuming he was going to backhand her. He glared at her as he gently caressed her cheek, directing her to turn her head towards him. He stared into her green eyes and was painfully reminded of the land he was not allowed to step foot on.

As soon as the remembrance of the curse put upon them three years ago came to mind, Sasuke let go and looked away.

"Take the girl to my chambers," he ordered the large, bulky man who brought Naruto and Sakura on board. "And get rid of the boy. We have no use for him."

Naruto's eyes widened fearfully. "W—what?!"

The pirates were quick to grab Naruto and drag his unwilling form near the plank.

"I wouldn't kill him if I were you," Sakura said loudly, an authoritative air around her. She stared tauntingly at Sasuke.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow to humor her. "And why is that?"

"Tell me something, Sasuke." Sakura ripped away from the pirate who was trying to drag her away and stepped to Sasuke slowly, watching as his dark eyes roved over the body that at one time was his whenever he pleased. "Have you ever heard of the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

The men on the ship gasped loudly, whispering words of disbelief.

Sasuke glared at her suspiciously. "I have. I've also heard of its inexistence."

It was then that Sakura threw her head back and laughed while Naruto looked down shamefully.

"If that is what you think of it," she drawled, lips curling into a sneer, "then you are a fool."

His scowl darkened at the insult but he let it pass, opting to grab her upper arm roughly. "I've also heard that there is a certain nonexistent _key_ needed to obtain it."

Sakura merely smiled deviously. "Oh, but Sasuke, it really _does_ exist."

Sasuke slowly allowed his grip on her to loosen and his features to soften. He let out a small sigh and regarded her with a rather annoyed expression.

"You know where the key is."

She let out a small, smug huff.

"I know _who_ the key is."

-


	11. air

**50alternates**

**Title: **Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #04 air  
**Word Count: **828**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

So I read _the_ coolest story ever today, and as a plus, it's in Sasuke's perspective. If you like spy stories, I _strongly_ recommend Sasuke: Ninja Assassin by Phate Caedus. Seriously, it's awesome. Even if you don't read suspense stuff, read it anyway! Personally, I loved it. It's definitely in my top ten, that's for sure.

But yes.

…

…

"I am not a patient man, Sakura."

"Oh, I am—" she smiled, struggling to cover up the pain she was feeling, "—well aware of that fact… _Captain_." Sakura inhaled, wincing as the salty sea air made its way into her lungs, practically searing them. She swallowed and turned away from Sasuke, opting to look at the floor from her spot at the foot of his bed.

His eyes narrowed at her mockery. He walked closer to her and grabbed the front of her dress, pulling her up. Glaring threateningly, he caught her jade eyes.

As she stared back defiantly, he finally took in her ill appearance. There was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, her eyes were slightly waters and he could hear her breath coming out in short, hurried pants. Now that he thought about it, her porcelain skin was brushing against a sicklier looking pale.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked softly. He eased his grip off of her dress and took a step back.

Without his support, much to her dismay, her knees buckled and she fell down.

Only the smallest part of her mind expected to hit the floor. The rest of her knew he wouldn't let that happen.

"What's wrong with you?" he repeated as he clutched at her weakened body as she leaned against him.

"It's the sea," she whimpered into his chest. "It's the air." Sakura shook her head. "It's the _curse_."

Sasuke stepped back completely at the word and her slack body fell onto the bed. She struggled slightly to sit up straight to speak to him while he simply leaned against the cherry oak desk behind him. With an indifferent countenance, he observed her more thoroughly.

"Why are you here, Sakura?" he inquired. "You know how your curse works. Touching the sea burns you, being on it makes you ill." He walked over to the small, circular window to make sure it was closed for her sake. "You are no fool, so tell me, why would you do something so impulsive?"

Sakura ran her fingers along the intricate designs on the blanket; there were small beads encrusted along with the threads. She snorted, deciding he most likely stole this from a royal ship.

"Naruto is in danger," Sakura stated simply. She looked up to meet his eyes, only to find him glaring at her furiously. "What?" she spat.

"Well aren't _you_ quick to get around," he growled, moving back in front of her and roughly yanking her up. Her knees were weak, body limp, and halfheartedly, she attempted to get out of his grip.

With as much strength as she could muster, Sakura raised her free hand and slapped him. "How _dare_ you make such an assumption?!" Sakura thumped her fist against his chest repeatedly, struggling to get away. "The boy's mother took me in when she found me on the shores after _you_ abandoned me, you fool! He is like a brother to me!"

Immediately, he let her go, as if the touch of her burned him.

Gone was his furious expression. It was now replaced with a look of regret or guilt.

"I didn't _abandon_ you."

Sakura refused to acknowledge his words, opting to remain angry.

Sasuke scowled when she refused to look at him. "When I left you on the shores of Konoha, I did _not_ abandon you, Sakura—"

"No," she interrupted, smiling bitterly. "You're right, you didn't abandon me when you left me behind in Konoha." Sakura tilted her head back and let out a mocking laugh. "You abandoned me the day you accepted Orochimaru's so-called _gift_, you bastard!"

"Sakura—"

"Get away from me!" she cried. She almost sounded breathless, Sasuke realized. He soon acknowledged her sweaty face, slumped shoulders and swaying figure, once again.

"You're burning up," he said, mostly to himself when he denied her wishes and gently placed his palm over his forehead. Frowning, Sasuke picked her up bridal style and laid her more comfortably on his bed. She tried to protest but he only ignored her, instead pulling the blanket over her. "Stay here," he ordered. "I'll be right back."

Despite her closed eyes, she was still awake enough to grind out, "It's not like I have a choice."

Shaking his head, a small smile crept onto his lips. She was still as feisty as she used to be.

Quietly, Sasuke closed the door behind him as he walked back onto the deck and over to the wheel.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Juugo asked when Sasuke approached him.

"Set sail for the closest piece of land," Sasuke ordered stiffly. Grimly, Sasuke stared at the blue depths all around them. They needed to get to land as soon as possible. The salty air was making Sakura ill, and despite their differences, Sasuke wasn't going to let her die.

_Besides…_

Another reason came to mind and the captain of the Kusanagi smirked.

_She knows where my treasure is._

_-_


	12. brownie

**50alternates**

**Title: **so whatcha want**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #23 brownie  
**Word Count: **736**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

…

…

"Would you like to buy a brownie to show some school spirit, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked to his right at the booth he was passing by. There was a bake sale going on that day, he knew, with goods being provided by the cheerleading team. He wasn't too sure what they were trying to earn money for, but he supposed as captain of the school basketball team, he _was_ somewhat obligated to make a purchase.

"Sure…" he replied after a moment. "How much?"

He saw Sakura Haruno, the pink-haired beauty that made it onto the team despite this being her first year at Konoha High because of her amazing flexibility and gymnastics skills. Her glossy lips curved into a smile as she tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Seventy-five cents, please," she asked sweetly.

After he gave her the required amount, she picked up one of the cut pieces and placed it on a napkin. His hand brushed against hers when he took the treat from her and he felt an odd electric shock run down his hand to his arm.

Sasuke observed the dreaded piece of dessert he purchased with a contemplative frown. Glancing at the tray where it came from, Sakura's red-frosted brownies were cut in the most _perfect_ looking squares. Even the blood-red icing on top of the brownies seemed to be spread flawlessly.

"Did you make these?" he inquired.

Sakura nodded once. "Yes, with my very own secret recipe." Her grin widened. "Please, try it, Sasuke-kun!"

With a shrug, he took a bite into the brownie.

It was amazing, to say the least. It was chewy, just how he liked it, just how his mother made them when he was a child. The sweetness, even with the red icing, was tamed to a point that he enjoyed it, which seemed odd to him since he hardly liked sweet things; other people probably would not share his fondness for Sakura's brownies.

"Do you like it?" Sakura asked. Her green eyes looked full of hope.

Sasuke shook his head in approval. "I do…"

"I'm glad!" she said brightly. She then glanced at the gym bag hanging off his shoulder. "Are you off to practice, Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied. "And I should probably get going—"

"Are you still hoping to beat your brother's record from when we was captain?" Sakura interrupted. Gone was her cheery grin; it seemed to be replaced with something akin to teasing.

Sasuke stiffened at her question. "Excuse me?"

Sakura shrugged. "Everyone at this school knows that _Itachi_ Uchiha was the one that led Konoha High to first place in the championships, Sasuke-kun. Or well, everyone at this school did _five years ago_." She came around her table and stood in front of him. Sakura tilted her head to the side a little bit and smiled tauntingly. "But I'm sure there are still plenty of people who remember. Your brother? Your parents? _You_?"

He kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to know how she knew so much about his goals.

"Or maybe that's not what you want…" Sakura drawled. She took a step back and stared at him, giving him a mock-examination as she pursed her lips. "Maybe what you want is to pass Calculus with something better than a…" She smirked, "Well, better than what you're getting _now_. Daddy wouldn't be too happy to know you aren't doing well. Especially when Itachi—"

"What do you want?" Sasuke hissed, effectively cutting her off. "Trying to blackmail me with shitty marks or family issues, Sakura?"

She shook her head. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, I think the question is 'what do _you_ want?'." Sakura came close once again and gently pressed the tip of her index finger against his chest. She ran it along his upper body with a distracted look in her eyes, leaving behind an odd trail of heat. "Recognition? Money? Grades?"

He simply raised an eyebrow in response.

"I can give you _anything_," Sakura murmured. She leaned in closer and brought her lips to his ear. Her cheek pressed against his and she could feel the small pricks of facial hair. "I can give you whatever you desire, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke glared down at her with suspicious eyes. "Who are you?"

Sakura turned her head closer to him and he could feel her lips moving as she spoke.

"Well, let's just say you're about to make a deal with the devil…"

…

…


	13. enchantment

**50alternates**

**Title: **halloween**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #46 enchantment  
**Word Count: **954**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

and with the extra prompts: bloodstains on the walls, vanilla sugar, a god amongst men

For Jazzle Dazzle (and the other cool people).

-

-

"Fuck our lives," Shikamaru muttered as he slammed the shed door shut before the beast that had been chasing after them could come in. He took a deep breath and frowned at the spot where the beast scratched his forearm. It had simply caught his armguards, causing him to be suddenly glad he decided to be a ninja for Halloween.

"Tell us again what you did," Neji shouted, glaring at Sakura. He was so angry he could grab her but as a ghost, everything literally slipped through his fingers. "You, Ino and Hinata did something really fucking stupid, Haruno! How the hell do we get out of this situation?"

Sakura bit her lip nervously and looked at her lap where she fumbled with her costume. "I—it was an accident. We didn't think it would _work_!"

"Clearly it did." Sasuke's face showed no actual sign of fear but on the inside, he was raving with anxiety. "Calm down and think it through."

She nodded, observing how Sasuke suddenly appeared paler than usual. "It was a spell," Sakura admitted. "The book… the spell book we found it in belonged to my great-great-grandmother, though!" Sakura shook her head miserably, remembering the sleepover the night before at her house when she and Ino convinced a reluctant Hinata to join them in 'casting a spell'. They thought it was a joke – turning someone into what they were for Halloween couldn't have been possible at all. "We didn't mean for this to happen…"

"You're not some god, Sakura!" Tenten shrieked. "You had no right to fool around like that!"

"I _know_!" Sakura leaned on the wall and slid down to take a seat beside where Sasuke was sitting. "I know." She brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. "I know…"

"Don't sit too close to me."

She frowned at Sasuke's irritated voice. Sakura glanced at him, expecting to see him glaring, angry at her like everyone else. Instead, his eyes were closed, he was breathing heavily and his hands were twitching and randomly closing into fists

"Are you okay?" she inquired, bringing her palm to his forehead. She expected him to be burning up, but she found quite the opposite.

Sasuke snorted. "As stupid as this is going to sound, Sakura, you smell fucking amazing."

Despite the situation, Sakura still managed to blush. "W—what?!"

"I'm a vampire now, remember? I want to suck your blood," he drawled, rubbing his temples. "You smell like," Sasuke seemed to be giving his observation some serious thought, "vanilla sugar…"

Sakura stiffened as he turned his head in her direction and stared at her neck, licking her lips. "Um—"

"Now isn't the time for you to be flirting!" Tenten yelled, taking Sasuke out of his trance. Sasuke and Sakura both stood up and walked to separate sides of the shed. "Sakura, isn't there a fucking counter spell or whatever for this?!"

"Relax," Shikamaru said. He looked distressed by the sight of a tearful girl. "We'll get through this."

"How?!" Tenten asked frantically from her spot by the window. With her cheerleader costume, Tenten's usual confidence and strength seemed to disappear; instead, she donned a personality that ran at the sight of the danger lurking outside and even spoke with an accent. "There are freaking _zombies _out there, in case you haven't noticed—"

Tenten was cut short when they heard the sound of breaking glass and grayish arms poked through. They grabbed her and as Neji tried to reach for her, his fingers slipped through.

"Fucking spell," Neji growled under his breath. Luckily, Sakura seized Tenten away while Shikamaru hit the arms with a shovel that was in the shed.

"We need to get out of here," Sasuke stated as he disgustedly stared at the few fingers that had fallen off the zombie and into their current hiding place. "They probably know we're here."

"No shit," Shikamaru said tiredly. "But where can we go? We're just off of the track field." He glanced at the shattered window for a moment. "Everyone here is a zombie. Remember how the school was going to do that zombie parade or whatever the fuck it is? If we leave, we won't make it off school property without being killed."

Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru had gone back to the school to finish the prank that Naruto wanted to do but couldn't as he was grounded by his dad. They had splashed the gym walls with pigs' blood, hoping that when the student population met there for the Halloween parade they would all get freaked out by the sight of the blood. Instead however, as Sakura's spell took its toll on them, it made the 'zombies' want to hunt for fresh meat.

"So far we've noticed I can't get hurt…"

Everyone looked up to Neji when he spoke. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, likely catching Neji's drift.

"You want to be bait," Sasuke said.

"It's not bait per se," Neji contradicted, glancing at his girlfriend before staring back at Sasuke. "Just…a distraction," he corrected. Neji waved his hand through Shikamaru's head to prove his coming point. "The zombies are stupid. They'll follow me when I go out there but even if they catch up to me, nothing will happen." He noticeably swallowed. "When I get out of here, you four run. Your car is here, isn't it, Uchiha?"

Sasuke nodded reluctantly.

"Then it's settled." The ghost walked towards the wall but paused before leaving to glare at Sakura. "You better fix this, Haruno. If I stay a ghost, I'll haunt your ass."

As Neji left, Tenten whimpered in fear and Sakura weakly smiled at his disappearing form.

Sasuke waited a few minutes before muttering, "Let's go."

-

_fin_


	14. witch

**50alternates**

**Title: **here kitty, kitty, kitty**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #43 witch  
**Word Count: **1160**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

…

…

"Why don't you just slip him a Love Potion, if you like him so much?" Shikamaru suggested. Ever the lazy absolute piece of crap, Shikamaru stretched and curled up on my bed. His chocolate-coloured fur was likely going to shed, but who the hell cared? I was so totally _ditching_ this joint! "It'd do my ears rather well…"

"Shut up, Shikamaru," I muttered, folding a shirt and putting it in one of my suitcases. "I'm not _allowed_ to clash with Free Will, remember?"

Shikamaru was something like my familiar. He used to be a man (a rather promiscuous one at that) back in his day, but apparently he fooled around a little with a witch, and when he was trying to ditch her in the middle of the night, enraged, the witch turned him into a cat. According to Shikamaru, she was rather obsessed with him so she tried to keep him with her in that cat form, but he got away eventually.

I'm not too sure how he ended up in my care, but I've had Shikamaru since I was old enough to mutter any sort of incantation.

See, there's this fact about me that I tend to leave out when I meet people.

I'm a witch.

No, seriously, I am, although I'm nothing like Sabrina Spellman, Elphaba or Glinda, Hermione Granger, the Halliwell sisters, or Alex Russo. No way—what goes on television or stage should stay in their respected places. I, Sakura Haruno, am a witch, but not like them. Or maybe I am. Maybe, I'm not too sure.

"Ah, come on, Sakura," Shikamaru continued. "You haven't been doing magic lately, you know. You just have to like… slip it in Sasuke's mouth wash."

Sasuke was my new roommate. By some miraculous chance, he chose me among other applicants to take that spare room in his beautiful apartment. At the moment, he was helping me bring my stuff over with his car.

But yeah.

I nodded to Shikamaru. "Yes, genius, because I _like_ living a normal life, you see."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Sakura, you've got to realize that you're a _witch_. You will never ever be normal."

"I can try, though," I persisted optimistically. "_Especially_ right now. Sasuke would freak if he found out I was a _witch_!"

I stopped clearing out my closet and sat down in the bed, picking Shikamaru up so I could lie down. I deposited him over my chest and began to play with his paws. "But I guess to actually _try_ being normal would mean I should stop talking to you, huh?"

Shikamaru frowned (if it was possible for cats to frown). "I take offense to that, you ungrateful brat." He let out a sigh and jumped away from me to curl up into a ball by my feet. "Besides, you wouldn't last an hour without talking to me about your issues. I've been the companion of the world's greatest witches, you know!"

I nodded, not exactly paying attention. "Sure."

"Oi!" Shikamaru made a little hiss sound. "I have, though. I've met plenty of witches—male and female—in my years as a cat. Hashirama, Chiyo, the Sannin Tsunade—although I ran away from her… crazy woman drank too much—your great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Sakura the…" Shikamaru paused, trying to remember… whatever he was trying to remember. "Oh, the second. Did you know you're the fourth?"

Assuming the question was rhetorical I ignored Shikamaru and went back to packing. My shoes were most definitely _not_ going to pack themselves, right?

"And then, last but not least, the Uzumaki twins," he concluded. "Kushina had a thing for the frogs though, so I only served her until she was fifteen and old enough to get a new magical pet on her own. I stuck around with Kumiko though."

"Of course," I replied. "That's how you got passed down to me, moron."

"Actually, I was passed down to you because Kushina declined me," Shikamaru corrected. "See, since your mom didn't directly give me to you, I was supposed to go to your aunt, in the belief that your mom didn't deem you responsible enough yet. Don't worry though, Sakura, she was just waiting until your birthday…"

"Right."

I didn't like using magic. Ever. While my two best friends were witches like me, I just couldn't bring myself to use it after my mother's death. It wasn't like I could, though, anyway. My father was a famous witch (in the Witch Realm, of course) and had no time whatsoever for his bastard daughter born from a one night stand. He sent me to live with Shikamaru in this world when I was sixteen all by myself.

I _did_ use it for little things though. A quick cleaning spell for when Auntie K was going to check up on me, a time-stopping spell for those nights when I procrastinated, a straightening spell for the days my hair was just _not_ working on me…

And let's not forget the multiplication spells. How else would I have enough money for all my shoes?

"You're not going to go all emo on me, are you?"

I looked at Shikamaru over my shoulder. He was doing his cat-frown again and was likely feeling a little guilty for bringing up the topic of my mother. I smiled at him, answering, "No. I'm fine."

"Okay…" Shikamaru leapt off the bed and scratched his back against my ankles. "So what are you going to do about this Sasuke-guy?"

My grin widened. "Well since you asked—"

"Sakura."

I jumped and whipped my head around. Sasuke stood in the doorway of what was going to now be my Former Room, frowning in confusion. There was a heavy looking box in his arms, likely full of my shoes, but he managed to carry the thing effortlessly with those beautiful arms of his. "Were you talking to someone?" he asked, looking around before his gaze settled on Shikamaru.

"Uh… yeah, I was on the phone," I lied lamely.

He continued to stare down Shikamaru as I grabbed the little shit and deposited him in my lap.

"Hn," Sasuke muttered. There was suspicion written all over his face but he didn't say anything. "Well, are you done packing?"

"Yep," I replied with a nod. "Let's start bringing stuff down to your car." I put Shikamaru down so I could start dragging out my suitcase. I walked past Sasuke, who remained in the doorway, likely staring down Shikamaru still.

I was down the hall but I caught the "I'm watching you" from Sasuke a few seconds before I felt Shikamaru brushing by my ankles.

"I think he's suspicious," Shikamaru murmured, careful of Sasuke who was walking behind us.

I rolled my eyes, muttering, "You _think_?" For the sake of appearances (and to score a stare), I looked over my shoulder and smiled at Sasuke. "Thanks for helping."

"Aa."

Much to my dismay, his gaze remained on Shikamaru.

Dammit.

-

-


	15. dryad

**50alternates**

**Title: **morning breath, or the lack thereof**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #26 dryad (tree nymphs)  
**Word Count: **620**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

-

She blamed instinct.

When there was a pair of lips pressed firmly against one's own, one's first impulse is to press harder, move said lips a little, and perhaps use a bit of tongue.

Which is what she did.

And immediately, the man – _well she really hoped it was a man_ – behind the lips ripped away from her, sputtered, and cursed.

Slowly, Sakura sat up from her bed and rubbed her eyes. She stretched her arms as she yawned; that enchanted sleep had lasted _way_ too long. Finally, she opened her green eyes, blinking a few times at the sight of the boy in front of her. He was staring down at her with an impassive yet handsome face.

"…hello." Sakura smiled, hoping to make a good impression. "I'm Sakura—"

"I know who you are."

Her smile faltered for a moment at his curt tone.

"You are the king's bastard daughter."

At the statement, the grin faded completely. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to protest. "Now wait just a minute! How dare you call me such a thing—"

He held up a hand to halt her speech. "I meant no offense. I require the Kusanagi. Where is it?"

Sakura stared at him, confused. "The… Kusanagi?"

By every passing second, he seemed to grow angrier. "The Kusanagi – the sword. You are its keeper, are you not?" he asked hastily. "The legends say you have it and the one who breaks you out of your enchanted sleep will receive it."

"_Oh_!" Sakura said after a long while of sleep. She was slightly miffed with the way he was talking down on her. It wasn't _her_ fault she was forced into so many years of darkness. One's brain does not exactly function the way it used to after waking up from such a sleep. "Yes, the Kusanagi." She leapt off the bed and stumbled for a moment; her legs had been out of commission for much to long. She said an incantation and the leaves around them began to dance with the wind.

For the past years she spent in a slumber, she had been protected by her mother's kind; numerous oak trees surrounded the bed her wicked stepmother forced her to sleep in for so long.

Finally, a leaf sprouted from the ground before the pair until it grew to become a large blossom. The petals slowly fell and within it was the enchanted blade her savior sought.

Sakura reached for the sword, holding it delicately with both hands and presented it to him.

"Here," she murmured, smiling.

He nodded his thanks and immediately unsheathed it when it was in his possession. There was no mistaking the glee in his eyes at the newfound power he just gained from a mythical weapon. Without another word, he stalked over to his black horse and Sakura panicked.

"H—hey!" Sakura yelled with wide eyes. "Where are you going?!"

He regarded her coolly. "There is someone I must kill. I woke you up because I needed your blade to do so."

She chewed her lower lip nervously. "So you're just going to _leave me here_?!"

He held her gaze for a few moments before sighing and turning his back on her one more time to get on the horse. "The moment you become a burden, I will leave you," he muttered as he stared her down sternly. He then grabbed her hand and assisted her up.

Sakura wrapped her arms around him as the horse began to move. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Sasuke," he replied, sounding just as impassive as earlier.

She smiled at him, although he could not see her. "Well, Sasuke, thank you for waking me up."

"Hn."

-

-


	16. genie

**50alternates**

**Title: **so whatcha want, 2**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #31 genie  
**Word Count: **970**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw Sakura still following him. He sighed, wanting to snap at her, but was too tired from the long practice. Instead Sasuke picked up his pace when he noticed he was nearing the doors. He pushed passed them, ready to jog over to his car, only to stop short when he saw Sakura leaning against his SUV with a sly grin.

"Fuck! How'd you do that?" Sasuke asked in an angry tone. When she opened her mouth to reply, he shook his head and pointed at her. "You know what? Don't answer that, actually."

"Where are you going?" she inquired when he began to put his gym bag in the backseat.

"Home," he answered curtly.

"Can I come with you?" Sakura did not wait for a reply though and simply sat in the passenger's seat.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fingers around his car keys before wincing; he had injured his wrist during practice earlier. He glared at the annoying girl sitting beside him and tried to grasp what little patience he had. "Okay. seriously, what do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you," she replied with a grin. "But there are things I'm sure you want from me."

"Could you stop talking like that? It's really fucking annoying," he muttered. Sakura shrugged and smiled to herself when Sasuke started the engine; he finally realized she was not going anywhere, it seemed. They exited the school parking lot and sped down the road. "So assuming you could 'give me what I want' as you like to put it, what _are_ you? A genie or something?"

Sakura had the nerve to look offended. "A _genie_?" She snorted. "More like 'or something'."

He glanced at her. "And what's that?"

"See, my Dad is the Devil," she began in a whiny voice. "Satan, Iblis, Prince of Darkness – whatever sinks your ship." Sakura didn't even seem to think that the stuff she was saying sounded completely, utterly _insane_. "Mom calls him Pain though. I'm not sure if that's some twisty pet name or his real name, but yeah, that's it. Right now, he's the King down there, but in a few years, I'd really, really like to take the Throne from him. The thing is Dad refuses to retire and give me Hell."

Humoring her, Sasuke nodded. "And what do I have to do with any of this?"

"You have a strong soul," Sakura explained. "See, Daddy judges one's strength by how well they can taint souls, and the bigger the soul, the more epic the tainting!" She smiled widely and pinched his cheek. Immediately, Sasuke glared at her and took a hand off the wheel to swat her offending fingers away. "Anyway, your soul is like, _huge_!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sakura giggled. "It's not a bad thing. It's _good_! Big souls are powerful and strong and meant for greatness, darling – and hey, yours is giant! And you're quite the angry looking one so damn if you're not possible to taint – which you are. You definitely are."

"What makes you think that?" Sasuke asked, perturbed.

"I told you earlier." Her bubbly tone vanished and she sat down straight, her knees together and hands crossed on top. "I know all your issues, everyone you resent, everything you hate, all your fears. You're not easy to read or anything, Sasuke, but being the Devil's daughter gives me some perks, if you get my drift." She tapped her temple a few times and winked at him. "All in all, Sasuke-kun, I _know_ you." Sakura paused, pursing her lips in a pensive pose. "Although thinking about it, I guess you _can_ see me as a genie. I _am_ going to make your wildest dreams a reality—"

He suddenly slammed down on the breaks, and Sakura yelped when her belt locked as she was forced forward.

"Ugh," she groaned, glaring over at Sasuke, who was pulling onto the side of the near-empty road. "What was _that_ for?!"

"You're insane," Sasuke stated. "Seriously. You're a psycho."

Wincing, Sakura rubbed the spot on the chest that the belt most likely left a bruise on. "Well, that's what they all say at first, but when you get your first taste of my twisted version of heaven, you'll be calling me a goddess."

He watched as she sighed and the hand on her chest glowed green. "What the—"

At his surprise, she raised a fine pink eyebrow. "_Now_ do you believe me?"

Sasuke wasn't sure whether to be afraid or not. She then reached for his injured wrist and wrapped her hands around it. The same jade-colored glow appeared, surrounding the spot where they touched and Sasuke was too shocked to speak.

"Well shit," he muttered.

The surprise was slowly ebbing away however, instead being replaced by desire. As ideas of what he could gain ran selfishly through his mind, Sakura saw it all and grinned. She snapped her fingers and a scroll and quill appeared in her hands. Wordlessly, she handed them to him and he accepted.

Sasuke wasted no time to sign the contract after reading what little it said. Looking at things practically, he'd get all her ever wanted in life and when he died, he'd belong to Sakura; that seemed like a fitting afterlife – what could possibly go wrong? He only winced when as he started to sign, a cut appeared on his palm and his blood leaked onto the parchment to form his signature.

When he finished, Sakura took back the scroll, allowing it to disappear back to where it came from.

Smiling coyly, she leaned across the car's controls, her lips mere millimeters from his right ear and whispered, "I'm about to make your darkest desires come true."

Sasuke smirked in anticipation.

-


	17. fire

**50alternates**

**Title: **repercussions **  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #03 fire  
**Word Count: **1964**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Or the Avatar-verse.

-

-

Kakashi could only watch impassively as the young prince was scolded ruthlessly by his father. Quite frankly, Kakashi thought that Sasuke deserved every angry and harsh comment the Fire Lord was making. What the boy did to his betrothed was most cruel and humiliating, in Kakashi's opinion.

"How _dare_ you do something so _stupid_?!"

In his mind, Kakashi could see where this conversation was going to lead. Sasuke, the more disobedient one between the Fire Nation princes, would roll his eyes when he knew for sure his father was staring at him only to provoke the Fire Lord into further yelling.

Fire Lady Mikoto sat in her throne while staring at her youngest son with a look of complete disappointment.

Kakashi sighed under his breath, careful to make sure no one would hear him.

Mentally, Kakashi cursed his Lord and Lady for declaring _him_ as Prince Sasuke's caretaker. Sure, Kakashi had trained and taught the boy almost everything he knew since Sasuke was old enough to walk, but while Kakashi looked at the young prince as family, Sasuke was also quite the troublemaker.

He stiffened when the Fire Lady rose from her seat.

Usually, she only did so when Fire Lord Fugaku looked like he was about to burn his son to a crisp. The only other time she got up and walked over to her bowing son was to give him a good, heart wrenching, moving speech of how she was disappointed in him and thought better of him.

At the moment, she seemed to be preparing to do the latter.

"Sasuke…" she breathed solemnly, staring down at her youngest son.

The boy in question knelt on one knee, staring forward with an uncaring expression Kakashi was just dying to wipe off his face.

Mikoto's features immediately hardened and she raised a hand. Before the trained soldier could even react, her palm made contact with Sasuke's cheek. He stared up at her with a bewildered face that almost made Kakashi laugh.

"What you did not only embarrassed—no, _humiliated_ your fiancée, but _you_ as well," the Fire Lady stated coldly, glaring at her son. "Do you not realize that you are a _prince_, Sasuke? You have been taught better than to act like _that_!"

"Your actions reflect on your family, as well," the Fire Lord continued. His brows her furrowed and his lips, when he didn't speak, were set into a firm line. "What you did not only makes you look bad, _Prince_ Sasuke, but your mother and I, as well!" He glanced at Sasuke's teacher before glaring at the boy once more. "Even Kakashi!"

Sasuke then stood up, shocking the Fire Lord and Lady, but not Kakashi.

Under his mask, Kakashi wore a small, pained smile. Somehow, he just _knew_ Sasuke would worsen the situation even further.

"Well then what do you propose I do?" Sasuke questioned his parents in a rather patronizing tone. "How shall I fix this?"

"_Fix this_?!" the Fire Lord repeated. "You expect this situation to just be _fixed_? Sasuke, you don't seem to realize how furious the Earth Kingdom Council was to have to watch their princess being left at the altar! Do you not realize that your union with the princess was to strengthen the bonds between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation?! They may very well start a war over this!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The princess is not like that. She would not endanger her people over something so petty. She may be annoying, but she's not _that_ annoying."

The Fire Lord shook his head angrily at Sasuke's nonchalance. "Nevertheless, Sasuke, you have humiliated the Royal Family once again with your childish actions."

His right hand glowed with blue fire as he pointed at his son.

Kakashi could only watch in fear and anxiety as the Fire Lord glared at Sasuke.

"From this day forth, Prince Sasuke Uchiha of the Fire Nation, you are stripped of your status—"

Sasuke's stared at him shocked. "_What_?!"

"Do not make me _banish_ you," Fugaku hissed.

"This is absurd!"

"Hn." The Fire Lord was unmoved by his son's alarm. Even the small gasp of his wife beside him could not help the situation at hand. "Leave my sight, boy," he ordered, standing up and glaring at the rebellious prince, "and perhaps I will consider changing the length of your punishment."

With an infuriated look shot his father's way, Sasuke stomped out of the room. 

…

…

…

…

"It seems that you have successfully brought your parents to contemplate disowning you, Prince Sasuke," Kakashi commented as he followed a few steps behind Sasuke. "Perhaps a congratulations is in order—"

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered tersely, kicking open his bedroom door.

Kakashi did not flinch at the loud bang. He gently closed the door shut as Sasuke stepped inside and began to remove his armor.

"How old are you, Prince Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. He walked over to the door of the balcony and stood between the lacquered frames as he felt the cool evening breeze brush against his barely visible face. He remained calm and smiled sheepishly at the frosty glare Sasuke sent his way. "Forgive me, but I believe my old age is getting to me."

"Sixteen," he replied. "I just turned sixteen three weeks ago." Sasuke sneered at the older man. "Perhaps if you hadn't been shaming yourself with the copious amounts of alcohol you consumed or the whores I refused, then you would remember that."

Kakashi winced. "Calm down, Prince Sasuke. It was a simple question."

"Hn."

Sasuke walked back into the room and slowly began to remove his armor. He was told to ear his prized battle uniform as attire for the wedding he refused to attend.

"I wonder how the princess is faring," Kakashi thought aloud.

Sasuke flinched, almost feeling guilty, but ignored the sentiment. He was sixteen – he was still so young. While his father, his brother and even Kakashi all thought that he had much to learn about managing a country, Sasuke knew much. Sure, his latest action hardly reflected that fact, but still… In his opinion, marriage, one of the strongest bonds a person could make with another, was just another way for one of his enemies to gain the upper hand over him.

Really, leaving Sakura at the altar was a _tactical _decision.

"The poor, poor girl," drawled Kakashi, quite dramatically. "It's a wonder she's still staying in the castle right now…"

Having enough, Sasuke looked away from the armor and glared at Kakashi. "I'm not stupid, I know what I did was horrible."

"Then why did you do it?" Kakashi asked right away. "I'm sure the princess is in tears now…"

"Hn."

"The Earth Kingdom will not be happy," he continued. "The Earth Kingdom _isn't_ happy. _Sakura_ isn't happy—"

"Okay, _shut up_," Sasuke shouted, thoroughly annoyed. "I get it – father thinks I may have just started a war, now _shut up_."

Kakashi shook his head. "You're getting aggravated so easily, Prince Sasuke. Do you feel _guilty_?"

Sasuke glared at Kakashi but did not give him a reply. He smoothed out his shirt and grabbed his sword, strapping it to his belt.

"I'm going for a walk."

…

…

…

…

As expected, many of the Earth Kingdom nobles were preparing to leave at dawn. Sasuke cringed when he caught sight of Sakura's mother, who glared at him for all she was worth. The woman was the current ruler of the Earth Kingdom, Sakura her only heir, and with how much they seemed to hate him at the moment…

Sasuke shook his head, not wanting to think the worst.

He walked out of range of the queen's furious gaze, determined to find Sakura and explain the situation to her. He was unable to find her in her room and was too much of a coward to check her mother's room, so he went to the next best place: the gardens.

When their engagement had been first announced almost six months ago, Fugaku had told Sasuke to give Sakura tour of the castle. From the many visits she graced the gardens in her numerous trips to the Fire Nation, Sasuke was quick to deduce it was her favorite part of his home.

There he found Sakura sitting at the edge of the pond, feeding the baby ducklings bread.

"Oi," he called out weakly, not quite sure _what_ to say.

He noticed her back stiffen momentarily before she peered over her shoulder and regarded him coldly. Sakura stood up and smoothed down her skirts. She bowed down her head politely, murmuring, "My lord." Immediately, Sakura turned her back to him and resumed feeding the ducks.

Sasuke sighed. He knew she would be angry and would probably give him the cold shoulder, but he hadn't quite prepared for it, thus he said the first thing that came to mind:

"Are you mad?"

He heard her inhale sharply before turning completely to glare at him. "_Excuse me_?! Did you just ask if I am _mad_?!"

"I'm sorry," he said before she could start screaming at him. Sasuke knew that this woman could wake up the entire Fire Nation with her booming voice.

"I don't _care_ if you're _sorry_," Sakura hissed. "You don't seem to realize how humiliating it was to have been left at the altar, you _bastard_!" Her eyes were glassy but she was too proud to let any tears fall in his presence. "You should have just said no to the engagement! You didn't have to do _that_."

He didn't know what else to tell her. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" she yelled. "I don't want your stupid apologies—"

"Sakura, we're _sixteen_," Sasuke pointed out, slightly exasperated. "How could you want to get married at this age?"

Her resolve falter momentarily but she shook her head. "It is my mother's wishes—"

"What about _you_?" he asked. Sasuke stepped towards her and grabbed her wrist, forcing her look at him. "What do _you_ want?"

She looked down, unsure of what to say. "I…"

"You don't want to marry me." Slowly, he smirked at her. "Or well, at least _not yet_. So stop acting pissy because you know I did you a favor by not showing up."

"Oh, shut up, Sasuke," she growled, bending the earth below him to make him fall over and land on his bottom. She suppressed a giggled and shrugged, letting out a quiet sigh. "I think… I think our courtship was simply too short."

Sasuke snorted. "You can say that again." His smirk widened as he stared up at the princess. "But admit it. You were itching to run away from that wedding as well."

A pink flush fell upon her cheeks. "I… w—well I…" Flustered, Sakura raised her head and glared at him. "Oh don't you think this is over Sasuke. Your parents are still quite furious at you," At this, her lips curled into a devious smile, "and as luck would have it, your forgiveness rests in my hands."

His eyes widened in realization. If Sakura were to leave without telling anyone about their mutual agreement that they did not want to get married that day, he would continue on as the selfish little prince who damned the Fire Nation. And his parents would disown him. And the Earth Queen who hated his guts would start a war—

Dammit.

"…what do you want?" Sasuke asked slowly, nervously.

Sakura manipulated the earth with a flick of her hand, pushing Sasuke in a kneeling position.

"Grovel, bitch," she ordered with a smug smile.

Inwardly, Sasuke patted himself on the back for delaying their impending marriage.

A life with Sakura Haruno was going to be hell, but oddly enough, he was almost looking forward to it.

…

…

…

…

…

_I cringe at that cheesy last line. Shame on me._


	18. lycanthrope

**50alternates**

**Title: **bite me  
**Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #34 lycanthrope  
**Word Count: **932**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.  
**Warning:** lots of cursing LOL

-

-

It all started with him killing me.

No. Seriously. It did. I was honestly just walking home, feeling oily and disgusting from the greasy environment I called my workplace, when I was tackled by _something_.

Okay fine, it wasn't _him_, but still, he ended up killing me. Accidentally, fine, but he _killed_ me. He said that the one who tackled me was a werewolf (the Stupid Bastard called it a 'lycan') who wanted a taste of my flesh. When _he_ tossed me aside to toss me out of the way, _accidentally_, he tossed me too hard into the wall, I hit my head and the blood came oozing.

From what he told me, after tearing the wolf to pieces, he bit me, leading to now—

"Why couldn't you just let me _die_?!"

I couldn't help my wailing. Especially when Kakashi let it slip that they vampires—er, _we_ vampires—have enhanced senses and ergo enhanced _hearing_. I knew how shrill my voice was, so really, it was quite fun to make Sasuke-dearest cringe like that.

"_WHY_?!" I continued.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not normally this bratty, but I'm hungry right now and this is just getting very annoying.

"Shut the hell up!" Sasuke yelled, throwing a table in my direction but hitting the wall instead. I'm sure if he _wanted _to hit me with that table, he would've, but he managed not to. "God, you're so annoying! You're right. I _should_ have let you die!"

My eyes widened. Okay. That was a bit shocking.

That. Stupid. Bastard.

In retaliation, I picked up what used to be one of the table's wooden legs. It was nice and sharp around the edges and if I was lucky, maybe I'd stake his heart and he'd turn into little ashes and disappear forever and ever. He'd probably be happy. No more annoying, accidentally-turned-vampire girl sticking around.

With all the (super) strength I could muster, I threw the leg at him like a spear, narrowly missing his face. I like his face. While I don't like _him_, I like his body. Oh, yes do I like his body.

"YOU. ARE. SO. LAME!" I screamed.

He snorted. "Leave me alone, you annoying woman."

I growled at him. "I am _not_ annoying!" I declared, picking up another leg from the table. Before I could properly spear it at him, Sasuke _somehow_ ended up behind me and grabbed my wrist. He did some sort of twist and before I knew it I was bent over quite awkwardly with my hands behind my back and Sasuke's shins in my vision.

"Er, Sasuke, I don't think this is necessary," Kakashi said, likely frowning at the two of us.

"But she's being annoying," Sasuke protested.

God, how _old_ is he? TWO?!

"Sasuke, you're being childish," Kakashi pointed out wisely. "Let Sakura go."

Reluctantly, the Stupid Bastard did as told, pushing me ever so slightly, likely in hopes that I'd fall over as I stood up straight. I didn't, and I could tell that annoyed him even further. To make it even nicer, I flashed him the finger and glared at him when Kakashi wasn't watching.

Hmph.

"You two really need to start getting along," said Kakashi with a sigh. He rubbed his temples wearily and looked from me to Sasuke.

"Why?" I asked. "He's a stupid bastard."

I MEAN REALLY.

HE _KILLED_ ME. SURE, HE BROUGHT ME BACK TO LIFE (albeit in a rather unconventional way), BUT HE _KILLED_ ME.

Sasuke scowled at me. "And she's an annoying bitch."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter – the two of you are bound."

"…huh?" I blinked a few times, confused. It wasn't my fault. Not all of us have been vampires for freaking _centuries_ like Kakashi and Sasuke, dammit. "I don't understand."

"_Fuck_," Sasuke cursed under his breath.

Uh oh.

That couldn't be good.

"W—what does _bound_ mean?!" I asked Kakashi, grabbing his shirt and shaking him. "WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!"

"Exactly how it sounds," Kakashi replied. "Sasuke turned you into a vampire and you drank some of his blood. You will always have some sort of connection." His uncovered eye crinkled, indicating a smile behind his stupid mask. "Especially right now, Sakura, you're going to feel particularly clingy to Sasuke, considering how you've just recently been turned."

Fuck my life.

"NO. THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING," I screamed. "I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU."

Kakashi shrugged. "Well… it's the truth. But don't worry, you'll be able to leave him eventually. The infancy stage of vampirism doesn't last _that_ long!"

My eyes lit up at the good news. "Yes! Okay, well how long then?"

"A century."

"_WHAT_?!"

"Stop shouting!" Sasuke demanded, throwing a chair at me. Rather than actually hurting me like it should have, it simply broke against my shoulder. Oh. _Cool_. "If we are going to be stuck together for a hundred freaking years, we are going to have to learn to get along and your constant screaming _does not help_." He stopped talking and did a few of the breathing exercises I remember learning at my anger management classes. "Now, let's make a truce."

He stuck out of his hand and reluctantly, I shook it.

"I still don't like you," I hissed under my breath. Kakashi didn't hear any of the upcoming banter though, too proud that he actually managed to 'get through to us'.

Sasuke snorted. "Whatever. It's not like I'm your biggest fan either."

I snarled at him. "And I still think you're a stupid bastard."

"And I still think you're an annoying bitch."

Ugh.

He's so lucky he's hot.

-

_fin_

-


	19. spirit

**50alternates**

**Title: **the haunting**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #05 spirit  
**Word Count: **894**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

"Guys, I really don't want to go," Sakura protested.

She went ignored as everyone continued hopping the fence to the abandoned asylum. It was going to be torn down the following week, and all her friends thought it would be fun to dare each other to stay in the building for one full night – from dusk to dawn.

It was only fitting that it was raining that that night, a storm was looming above them.

"_You really shouldn't!"_

Sakura looked to her left, where the frantic voice came from. A girl stood there, her eyes droopy and dull, donning a hospital gown. She couldn't be much older than Sakura appearance-wise. Sakura was adept enough with her ability to see and communicate with the dead to know that that ghost had been around for at least thirty years so far. Sakura would have spoken back to the ghost to help her move on to the afterlife had all her friends not been around.

"_No good has ever come out of that place. Save yourself and get out of here_ now_, Mediator."_

"Stop being such a wimp, Sakura," Ino said, sticking her head against the wrought iron fence.

Sakura almost whimpered at the sight of a young child's ghost staring up at Ino, bewildered by her behavior, yet Ino was completely unaware of its presence. She took another chug from the bottle of alcohol in her hand.

"Seriously!" Naruto yelled. He was balancing himself on top of a brick post. "Come on, Sakura-chan!" He chuckled. "No worries, Naruto will protect you!"

"_Don't listen to them!"_ she yelled, only heard by Sakura. "_Don't. Go. Inside!"_

Sakura gulped, noticing that Shikamaru, Tenten and Kiba were already jogging down the property's dead lawn to get to the main entrance to avoid the rain. It was likely a garden when the Konoha Asylum was still a prosperous place, but not there was nothing but dirt and yellowed grass. Ino had stopped paying attention to her and was latching on to Neji, asking for a drag of his cigarette. Naruto was in the middle of jumping off the post he was on.

"You're not going to come?"

Still freaked out by the ghost warning her, Sakura yelped loudly when Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder. She stepped away from him and clutched her heart fearfully.

"Don't _do_ that!" she hissed, hitting Sasuke's arm. "Dammit, Sasuke!"

Sasuke smirked. "Wow, I didn't think you'd get so scared."

"It's not funny!" Sakura growled. She pointed to the asylum and ignored the other ghosts that lingered around on the property – ghosts that only _she_ could see. "People have _died_ in this place, Sasuke, and we're going in there to what, mock their deaths by thinking it's a cool place to get drunk and high?!" She shook her head, disgusted, and glared at the floor; it was the only place where the sight of a ghost could not come her way. "I _don't_ want to go."

Sasuke frowned, noticing her glassy eyes.

She was genuinely terrified.

"H—hey…" he mumbled uncomfortably, resting both hands on her shoulders. He moved them closer to her neck and tilted her head up. "Calm down, Sakura. Nothing is going to happen." He snorted. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

The former Konoha Asylum patient threw her head back in laughter. _"Oh, what a fool!" _Thunder boomed as she continued cackling. _"If you go in, Mediator, your presence will draw out the spirits of every person that died in this god forsaken building, and there is no telling what they will do."_

Sasuke let go of her and went to the fence, climbing and jumping over it.

"N—no! Dammit, Sasuke!" Sakura called out.

He smirked at her from behind the fence. "You better hurry, Sakura, or I'm going to leave you."

The ghost's eyes widened when she finally got a glimpse of Sasuke's face and Sakura felt the aura around her darken. _"T—THAT BOY!"_

Sakura glanced at the ghost. "What is it?" she asked. Sasuke was far enough that he would not hear her talking.

"_That is the descendant of the monster who allowed all the experiments in this place to happen – Madara Uchiha!"_ the ghost yelled frantically. She pointed to Sasuke, and Sakura noticed the other few ghosts roaming the front courtyard all similarly paying special attention to Sasuke. _"The spirits here are quite vengeful, Mediator,"_ she warned coldly. _"And with the presence of that boy, they won't care who they hurt." _

The girl's eyes darkened and narrowed.

"_Myself included."_

Sakura inhaled sharply as at least three ghosts began looming towards Sasuke, who remained oblivious to their presences, much less their intentions. He was already on the stairs, standing in the doorway, waiting for her to follow.

"Dammit," she cursed. Sakura ran over to the fence and struggled a little to get over it given the iron was wet from the storm. She immediately ran to her friends when she finally made it over.

"Took you long enough," Shikamaru commented wryly, sitting on an old chair that looked as though it would break under his weight.

Catching her breath, Sakura walked through the door.

Immediately, it slammed shut behind her.

It was then that all the spirits in the asylum decided to make themselves visible to her view.

All her friends were oblivious to Sakura's terror.

"Fuck."

-  
-


	20. dreams

**50alternates**

**Title: **it's just honor, part 2**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #11 dreams  
**Word Count: **756**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Follow up of chapter nine's fic. Enjoy! It's kinda cheesy. Really cheesy. Sigh.

AND OMFG LIKE WHUT. SEVEN UPDATES IN ONE DAY? :D

…

…

He returned ten years later. The tall trees surrounding the island of Konoha were the most beautiful things Sasuke has seen in so long and when his ship finally docked, Sasuke rushed off to his estate hoping to see the woman he'd dreamt of being with for so long. He ran through the estate, frantically searching for his wife but to no avail.

Immediately, Sasuke rushed to the temple, knowing it was the only other alternative. The jog up the great hill was tiring for a man just returning from a ten year war but Sasuke was determined to find his wife. When he approached the entrance of the Sun God's temple, he slowed his steps and regained his breath hoping to silently observe what she had become.

Her hair had grown but was no longer in that elegant ponytail she used to wear when he was courting her. It was left untamed with little waves running towards the bottom and touching the middle of her back. She had a more motherly figure, for lack of a better word. And she seemed a bit tired, but a good tired. The sort of tired a woman was when they spent the day taking care of their family.

This fatigue was what dulled the shock he should have felt when he saw a young boy kneeling beside her.

"Mother, I want to go _train_!" he whined. "Kakashi-sensei said I could come whenever I wanted!"

Sasuke heard her snort quietly. "Satoshi, we must pray first and _then_ you may train."

"But—" The boy, Satoshi, sighed. "Mother, I do not understand why we must do this _every_ morning and _every_ night!"

"Because, darling," she began to chide gently. Sakura turned her body out of its kneeling position and stroked the young boy's cheek, "your father is still away fighting a way and we need to pray that he may come home safely."

"Aw, but _mother_, that's why I need to train! So I can be strong and be able to bring him home. Then you'll be happier!"

It was then that Sasuke stepped out of the setting sun's shadows and towards the altar. "You should listen to your mother, you know."

The boy immediately turned on his heel at the sound of approaching footsteps, his arms spread out in front of his mother in a protective position. "W—who are you?!" he exclaimed quite loudly. His green eyes darted from Sasuke's face to the sword hanging on his side.

Sasuke observed him with pride, knowing that this was his son.

He squatted down until he was at eye-level with the boy. "I mean you know harm," Sasuke said, smiling gently. "I apologize if I frightened you."

Satoshi glared at him. "Hmph! I'm not _scared_!"

"Ah, my mistake then." Sasuke stood up straight and refrained from pulling his wife into his arms. "The war is over, Lady Uchiha. Your husband has returned."

Her breathing grew labored as she stared at him in disbelief. "H—has he now?"

"Yes." Sasuke held his wife's gaze. "And he would like to see his wife and son."

Satoshi's eyes widened and he peered up at Sasuke hopefully. "My _father_?!" Before anyone could tell him any better, Satoshi ran out of the temple hoping to find the father he never met.

Sakura immediately fell into his arms, burying her face into his chest and holding him. It was as though a dam broke, Sasuke though, as tears began to flow freely from her eyes, leaking into his thin shirt. "I missed you so much!" she sobbed. She lifted her head to smile at him and cup his face gently. "And so has he."

"How old is he?" Sasuke asked, wrapping an arm around her waist as they began to walk out of the temple.

"Nine," she replied. Sakura leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled contentedly. "He was conceived the night we married – the night you left – I guess."

"And how goes his training?" he continued.

Sakura's grin widened and she kissed him on the cheek. "He is truly an Uchiha, if that answers your question." Sakura stopped walking and once again hugged him. "Thank you, Sasuke. Thank you for coming back to us."

He kissed her forehead and brushed away the tears of happiness that dripped from her eyes. "Thank you, Sakura, for waiting."

They stood their in each other's embrace, finally reunited and content—

"_MOM, IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU HELPED CONSIDERING I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY DAD LOOKS LIKE_!"

…

…

_fin_

…

_**And since I'm here, I'd like to recommend a fic that I'm totally in love with. It's called **__**Scar Tissue**__** by CharLots. Really. The fic is great. **_


	21. earth

**50alternates**

**Title: **a real boy**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #02 earth  
**Word Count: **1250**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

"So are you going to prom with anyone?" Ino asked, writing her name on the tables with the slip (the so-called glue for this annoying clay assignment). "Naruto asked me but I'm not sure if I want to say yes. To be honest, I'm still kind of waiting for Shikamaru to ask."

I wasn't completely into the conversation, too busy with my molding. "Really now?"

"Has Kiba asked you?"

I looked up at that and gave her an incredulous stare. "_What_?" I snorted. "Kiba and I don't talk anymore, Ino."

When I put down my project, Ino grabbed it. There was a dopey grin on her face that I _knew_ could only mean the worst.

"Poor Sakura-chan," she cooed whilst playing with the clay. "She doesn't have a boyfriend anymore and now she needs a prom date." Her lips curled evilly and I prepared myself for the worst. "But no worries, Sakura. Ino-chan knows how to make you smile."

I peeked at my project and—

That. Freaking. Moron.

Well I have to give her some credit were remembering to score the clay first and use some of the slip.

Ugh.

I couldn't help but sigh at the sight of Ino's _little _alteration to the clay piece in front of me.

"Ino, it looks like a _third leg_."

"…so?"

"What do you mean 'so'? That's just…"

"…kinky?"

I groaned and removed a good portion of the appendage Ino put on the clay boy before the possibility of Deidara-sensei coming in, seeing Ino's added detail and dubbing me a complete pervert came to be.

It was just _so_ typical of Ino to do something like that.

Before I could lob a piece of wet clay at Ino, she hopped off her stool. "I'm going to wash my hands," the douche bag announced, walking into the kiln room to use the sink in there. Deidara-sensei bitched at us that one time we used the regular sinks – something about the kiln room ones having a special clay filter.

"Whatever, bitch," I muttered, mock-scowling at her.

"Loser," she countered with a smirk. Looking like the moron she was, Ino danced along the way to the beat of the music she could only hear from one earphone.

When I heard the water running in the other room, I focused all my attention on the clay boy in my hands.

What he would look like if he were a real boy? After the clay dried, at first I planned on painting him, but then when Ino and I ventured into the art department's art supply closet, we found we lacked the plethora of colors we'd expected. There was black though. Black, red, blue and green were the only available ones.

I settled for just using the black. Besides, the clay is white so… yeah.

Whatever.

If he _were_ a real boy though, I think he'd have black hair. Gently, I brushed my finger along the eccentric haircut I gave him. Spiky bangs and a back that defied gravity. He had an aristocratic looking face, with a pointed chin and nose that would never ever need plastic surgery. I failed in the personality department though. I couldn't make a decent looking mouth so I settled on plain, straight lips that made him look cold and uncaring, but seemed fitting in the end.

Then Ino got to work on it.

Defined muscles, chiseled abs, _the thing that looked like a third leg_.

Oh, I could kill that girl—

"Oi, lameass," Ino yelled, drying her hands on her polo shirt. "I have to go to work now. You need a ride?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm going to stay a little longer."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh, Sakura. Ever the dedicated student." Her nose wrinkled when she frowned at me, followed by a tired sigh. "If you don't end up valedictorian, I will throw a fit and at grad, force you onto the stage to make the speech."

With a laugh, I waved goodbye and Ino left.

The room was silent and half an hour later, I was making the finishing touches to my clay boy.

"You know, the Pig is right," I said to my project, well aware that if anyone was watching, they'd assume I was crazy. "I seriously need a prom date." I sighed for the nth time and went to the kiln room to go wash my hands. When I came back out a few minutes later, I shrieked.

Really. It was instinctive.

"AH – _OH, MY GOD_."

Because there, lo and behold, right in front of me, was a boy.

A naked boy.

Thankfully, my hands were clean when I brought them to my eyes, childishly covering my face. "W—what the _hell_?!" I spread my fingers to peek, but made sure my gaze remained straight and _definitely_ not downward. "Who _are_ you?!"

He didn't seem to notice me, too busy lifting his arms and staring at his (glorious) body in wonder.

"Hn."

Oh, my god. What the hell is going on?

"EXCUSE ME!" I bellowed. "Uh, hi, would you mind _putting on your clothes_?!"

Finally, he looked at me, giving me a once over and one hell of a blush. He regarded me with utter apathy and frowned. "Who are you?"

"M—me?!" I sputtered. "Who are _you_, you stupid pervert! PUT ON SOME CLOTHES."

"Clothes?" he repeated.

Instead of outright calling him an idiot, I took a good hard look at him. His skin was pale, but not in a nasty pasty sort of way, more so like porcelain and his eyes were dark. Very dark. Black, actually. Same with his hair. Spiky and black and—

OH. MY. GOD.

Inhaling sharply, I looked at the table, hoping to find my clay boy there for the reassurance that what I was thinking was _so not happening_.

But nay. He wasn't on the table.

Why?

Because he _was right in front of me_.

"This isn't happening," I lied, trying to convince myself there most definitely was _not_ a hot naked boy standing in front of me. A hot naked boy who just so happened to be worth ten percent of my final mark in art class. "No, no, no – this is _so_ not happening!"

"I'm Sasuke," he offered, likely noticing my discomfort and ignoring it. He put a hand on my shoulder and smirked when I flinched away from him.

"You have a name?" I asked impulsively.

Sasuke frowned. "Of course I do."

I shook my head. God, I was so lost. "I do not understand. At all."

"The clay you were using included some of the dirt from my grave," Sasuke explained. "That's the only explanation I can come up with."

I snorted. What about the idea that maybe, just maybe, _I was insane_?!

"Now," Sasuke began in a let's-get-down-to-business tone. He propped himself onto the desk and placed his feet on a stool. Then, in typical guy fashion, failed to sit with his knees closed. "The reason I formed a real body was likely due to the fact that you need something from me. What is it?"

"_I don't know_!" I whimpered, looking deep into his eyes to avoid looking anywhere else. "Just _go_ before someone comes in!"

He shrugged. "No can do. You summoned me."

"I _didn't_."

"By accident, then. Either way, you need something from me." His expression darkened. "And I'm stuck in this body until I fulfill it."

I brought my hands to my face again and moaned pathetically.

Dammit.

-

_fin_

-


	22. troll

**50alternates**

**Title: **shooter**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #41 troll  
**Word Count: **695**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

When I play Kai on _Heavenly Sword_, I always get my brother to do it. I totally suck at her parts.

-

-

"So here's the plan," Kakashi said quietly to his three students. The thirteen-year-olds were all crouched before him, waiting on his very words quite intently. He knew that these kids would follow his orders and trusted him with their lives, something that scared Kakashi just a little bit. "Sasuke will be the one to get the scroll from the troll—"

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, offended. There was a look of pure disappointment on the boy's face as he glared at a smirking Sasuke. "That is _so_ unfair, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes. He did not bother to discipline Naruto for his rudeness as Sakura already got to it, whacking the boy in the back of the head with her bow.

"Relax, moron," Sasuke chided haughtily. "You can be my cover."

He couldn't help but feel smug for being the one chosen to venture into the trolls' lair. Sasuke knew that they were dumb creatures but if they caught even the slightest whiff of him near their sacred scroll, they would tear him apart, roast him on a spit, and then eat him for dinner. That was why he wanted _Naruto_ to be the one to watch his back. His focus was going to have to be to run past all the guards and get piece of gold the trolls were protecting. Worrying about being caught was going to make the mission more difficult.

"Actually," Kakashi cut in before Naruto could get excited. "I have chosen _Sakura_ to be your cover, Sasuke." He smiled at Naruto, his only visible eye crinkling. "Sorry, Naruto."

All three students stared at him wide-eyed, Sasuke in fear, Naruto in disappointment and Sakura in absolute shock.

"M—me?!" Sakura asked disbelievingly. "_Really_, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded. He couldn't help but feel proud of his decision when he saw the look of pure happiness on the pink-haired girl's face. It was finally her chance to show her teammates just how skilled she was and that contrary to their ideas she wasn't some delicate, little girl.

"You're getting _Sakura_ to cover for me?"

Both Sakura and Kakashi faced Sasuke with angry glares.

"Are you questioning my orders, Sasuke?"

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, are you doubting my ability?"

Naruto laughed awkwardly, hoping to alleviate some of the tension. "No, no, Sakura-chan, he just means that… um… _the trolls will eat him alive_… yeah."

"Hmph!" Sakura flipped her hair over her shoulder and raised her head high as she took an arrow and brought it to her bow. "Shut up, Sasuke," she hissed, leaving out the usual suffix. "And don't worry. I'll protect you!" She smirked haughtily. "I _never_ miss!"

Sasuke shuddered. "Right."

"Okay, we're still a few miles from the trolls. Let's go children," Kakashi ordered before a fight could begin. He covered up the fire they had been sitting around and proceeded to walk, ignoring the angry aura around Sakura. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder to make sure he stayed away from the stewing girl. Naruto had yet to learn that approaching an angry woman was never smart.

Squad Seven proceeded to travel in the shadows, Kakashi and Naruto in the lead, Sakura in the middle, and Sasuke solemnly trailing after her.

Even a small glance at Sakura roused feelings of guilt within Sasuke. He knew he had been rather rude, doubting Sakura's skills the way he did. Something told him that if he went into the trolls' lair with Sakura pissed off as him, she'd do her job and kill the ones that came near him, but at the last minute, just to torture him.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke mumbled, speeding up a little to walk beside her.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Pardon?"

He glared. "I'm not saying it again."

Slowly, a smile tugged at the corners of Sakura's lips and she gave him a short nod. "Apology accepted." With that matter resolved Sasuke fell back a few steps, ready to go back to his place in the back. Sakura looked over her shoulder. "And Sasuke?" She smirked and winked. "Don't worry so much. I'll protect you."

When she faced forward once again, Sasuke allowed himself to grin.

_Thank you._

-

_fin_

-

-

_**I really don't like making titles for these things. Sigh.**_


	23. naiad

**50alternates**

**Title: **Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox (part 3)**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #35 naiad (nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams and brooks)  
**Word Count: **850**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Follow up of _air_.

-

-

Suigetsu's annoyed scowl remained in place as they continued to paddle down the stream to where _she_ resided.

He shuddered, annoyed. Looking ahead, he noticed the blond kid they had kidnapped sitting stiffly with Sasuke's girl leaning on his shoulder. She wore a large cloak over her shoulders and had the hood pulled over her head. From the small crest at the base of her neck, he deduced that the cloak belonged to Sasuke. Suigetsu was mildly surprised that their dear captain wasn't throwing a hissy fit their close proximity.

"How much longer?" the kid asked quietly.

Sasuke, who sat at the front of the boat, glanced back at him over his shoulder. "We are already here."

"What?"

"Fool," Suigetsu muttered. The kid turned around, arranging Sakura so she would remain comfortable. "She lives in the water. She'll come out when she wants to." Suigetsu's scowl deepened and he raised his voice. "That stupid, ugly, loud, annoying bitch—"

He was cut off when a spray of water caught him in the face.

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, Suigetsu snorted at Naruto. "See what I mean?"

"Shut it, Suigetsu," a feminine voice said, coming from the water. Naruto watched in awe as it began to float upwards, slowly forming the top half of a woman's body. She had fiery eyes and crimson locks to match. She donned a simple lilac dress and was wading comfortably in the water. Her pink lips pulled into a grin at the sight of Sasuke. "Ah, Sasuke-kun, what can I do for you?"

"Hn. Karin." Sasuke nodded in greeting before getting straight down to business, pointing down at Sakura. "She's not allowed to be over the ocean."

"Well let's see what I can do…" The nymph, Karin, looked intently at Sakura and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she frowned at Sasuke. "Of course she can't be – she's _cursed_." Pity filled Karin's eyes. "And by _him_ of all people."

Suigetsu waved a hand. "Meh, we're all cursed ones here." He glared at Karin. "Luckily enough, some of us can have our curses removed—"

"I'm not removing your curse," Karin hissed, annoyed. "That's what you get for peaking on my sisters and me bathing."

The shark-toothed man chuckled. "Ah… maybe it was worth it."

"Shut up! Stop fooling around, dammit!" Naruto cried, gaining everyone's attention. "What about Sakura-chan? Can't you do _anything_ to help her? Please!"

Karin spared Sakura another glance before sighing. "I can give you a temporary elixir for when she's over seas. She'll be able to travel for three days at most, but you'll need to bring her to land for at least a day before sailing once again."

"Aa." Sasuke nodded, reaching for the glass vile that floated out of the water.

Before he could retrieve it however, it sank a few feet lower. Sasuke raised his head to glare menacingly at Karin but the nymph merely smirked at him in reply. She tossed her head back and laughed. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, you didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" she asked coyly.

He glowered at her. "What do you want?"

"I want… I want…" Karin leaned back, allowing her legs to float up, and she did a few backstrokes. When she finally made up her mind, she sat up over the water as though she was weightless. "You know, it gets boring down here sometimes." Karin winked at Naruto and he blushed. "I want to come with you guys."

"No way!" Suigetsu shouted. He turned to Sasuke, staring at the Kusanagi captain pleadingly. "Oh, come on! She is so—"

"Very well."

"Stop being a little bitch, Suigetsu." With a wide grin, Karin clapped merrily and stood up, walking over the water and gracefully lowering onto their dinghy. She sat backwards on the row between Naruto and Sasuke, staring curiously at Sakura. "Who is that?" she asked, pointing to the hooded woman.

"Sasuke's girl," Suigetsu said, hoping to piss Karin off.

Instead the nymph went unfazed by the bit of information. "No, I already know that. She just seems familiar…" Slowly, Sakura lifted her head off Naruto's shoulder. There was a shadow of a smile as she removed the hood, exposing her face. Realization drew the blood from Karin's face as she gasped. "S—Sakura!"

Sakura grinned meekly. "Hello, Karin…"

Sasuke ignored the joyful reunion going on behind him. From what he knew, Sakura and Karin were related, both descendants of the great Sea God; Sakura, the man's daughter, and Karin, a niece of sorts. When they were done greeting each other, Sasuke ordered, "Karin, give her the elixir."

Nodding eagerly, Karin did as told. Sakura drank it and was immediately revitalized. Sasuke was pleased when the color slowly returned to her face and though he would never admit it, he felt extremely relieved.

He smirked.

It was time to get down to business.

Sasuke turned around and stood up. He stood across from Sakura and pulled her up by the front of her cloak.

"Now, tell me where my treasure is."

-

-

-

-

**SUIGETSU IS IN THE ANIME, GUYS.  
His presence makes it awesome.  
And yay, Karin's coming, too! :D**


	24. in the clouds

**50alternates**

**Title: **take it all off**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #14 in the clouds  
**Word Count: **265 **  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Started reading _Fairy Tail_. I love Gray. He is so cool.

-

-

"Okay, we're here now!"

Sasuke sighed. "_Finally_," he muttered, surveying the high mountain Sakura made them climb; the two of them were practically in the clouds. It was a rather difficult trek – not that he'd ever admit it – to climb such a steep mountain while wearing the thick clothes needed for the freezing weather. "Now, would you hurry up and teach me?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and pouted. "Yeah, yeah… you're not very nice, Sasuke-kun."

"I try."

"Hmph." Sakura put her hands on her hips and put her game face on. "Well then, Sasuke-kun, the first rule of using Ice Magic is to be one with the cold. You can't manipulate it if you can't even control it, right?"

He nodded, taking in her lesson. "Hn."

"That being said…" She grinned evilly. "_Strip_."

Sasuke blinked. "…what?"

Without warning, right in front of him, Sakura began to take off the red jacket she wore and the black dress beneath it, leaving her in just her underwear.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU _DOING_?!" he shrieked, eyes wide and a blush being fought off.

Sakura tilted her head ever so slightly, genuinely confused by his outburst. "What's wrong?" She rolled her eyes with a huff. "Sasuke-kun, I wasn't kidding. You must be one with the cold so _take off your clothes, stupid_."

Reluctantly, Sasuke's fingers pulled down his coat's zipper.

"You just want to see me naked," he grumbled when he was finally down to his boxers.

Sakura smirked, shamelessly checking out his chest. "No, that's just a plus."

Sasuke scowled. "Oh, just shut up and teach me."

-

-

-


	25. curse

**50alternates**

**Title: **the haunting, part 2/?**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #45 curse  
**Word Count: **1177**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

"Oi, quit hogging," Sasuke muttered, holding his hand out expectantly to Naruto. The blond rolled his eyes and handed the joint to Sasuke, who waved a hand in gratitude. "Ah, thanks."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "No problem!"

They had left the main foyer of what was left of the asylum and had begun walking around. Much to Sakura's dismay, Tenten and Neji went off to do God-knows-what, with Kiba and Naruto hooting obnoxiously as they left.

"So what the hell are we going to do here all night?" Ino asked. Sakura frowned, hearing the slur in her voice. Her frown only deepened when she noticed that the bottle in Ino's hand was nearly empty. "I'm tired. Can we sit down guys?"

Shikamaru pointed to a door on their left. The word "STAFF LOUNGE" was written on a dusty plaque. "We'll go in here," he said, pushing Ino along. Naruto and Kiba followed along but Sakura remained idle in the hallway, here gaze focused intently on her grey sneakers.

"_Look, it's a Mediator!_"

"_Why is she ignoring us? Maybe she isn't actually a Mediator…"_

"_Don't be stupid. Her presence is what drew us out!"_

Sakura counted to ten in her head, hoping to distract herself from the whispers all around her. She closed her eyes, picturing Sasuke's backyard where they were earlier, before Naruto came up with the idiotic idea of coming to the asylum. She was so stupid. She shouldn't have agreed. Sakura knew her curse and what places it attracted the most ghosts at; it was foolish of her to even come near the asylum.

"Idiot," she muttered, hands clenched at her sides. "Stupid idiot." Her eyes shot open at the smell of weed. She frowned, seeing Sasuke standing in front of her, holding the half-smoked joint in her face. Scowling, she slapped his hand away. "Don't _do _that. And I don't smoke, remember?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Well you look like you need it. What's _with_ you tonight?"

"_Is that—"_

"_That's Dr. Uchiha! That's him! That monster is back!"_

"_Let's get him!"_

"Come on," Sakura all but shouted, grabbing Sasuke's arm. She pulled on his arm and began to walk away. Sakura jumped when she heard a crash, only to look over her shoulder and find a light had fallen on the spot she and Sasuke had been standing in. "Fuck," she cursed, slamming the staff lounge door closed when they entered.

"This place is fucking weird," Kiba commented, flipping through a random folder that was sitting around on one table. The paper was dirty and dusty but the writing was still legible. "Look, this dude apparently thought he 'shared a body with his mother'. That's… just messed up."

Naruto was by the wall, staring at some photos that managed to stay up on the walls. "Hey, bastard, some guy here has your last name."

"Madara Uchiha," Sakura murmured, still standing by the door beside Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "How'd you know that?"

"H—huh?" She swallowed nervously and struggled to find a decent lie. "O—oh, I saw some plaque earlier about him… he founded this place, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke reluctantly replied. "My family prefers to keep that a secret though. Most of the clan's too ashamed by the asylum's relation to the Uchiha name."

"Of course they'd be," Shikamaru said. "This place is _fucked up_."

"You guys need a better vocabulary," Ino commented, getting up from the seat she was in. She smiled widely at Shikamaru. "Ne, Shika-kun, want to go for a walk with me and protect me from the big bad monsters Sakura still seems to think are in here?" Shikamaru snorted and got up, ignoring Sakura's annoyed protests. "I _love_ you, Saku-chan," Ino drunkenly crowed as she and Shikamaru left the lounge.

Naruto snickered and nudged Kiba. "Dude, let's go pop out at them!"

Kiba pursed his lips, seeming rather thoughtful. "Nah, I think it'd be better to do that to Neji and Tenten. Neji would get more pissed than Shikamaru."

"True."

"Let's go!"

Naruto paused at the door before they left and grinned evilly at Sasuke and Sakura. "No hanky-panky while we're away, okay? If all goes wrong and we need a virgin sacrifice, Sasuke-chan's purity will need to be in tact."

Sakura flinched, hearing a random glass Sasuke had thrown at Naruto meet the wall and break into pieces.

"Stupid moron," he muttered, as he fought the blush on his cheeks. "Come on, let's go explore."

As he made to leave, Sakura panicked. "N—no!" she shouted. "Let's… let's just stay here." Sakura observed the staff lounge. It seemed moderately safe, in her opinion. No one had ever died in this room, nor did anyone ever suffer considering how the staff was likely quite pampered, so this room definitely did not have any ghosts haunting it and thus had to be safer to stay in rather than wandering in the halls.

Sasuke sighed. "You're such a spaz, Sakura." He relented though, and sat down on the chair Ino had been using earlier. "What's _wrong_ with you?"

Sakura took a seat beside him and smiled half-heartedly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Hn." With that said, Sasuke got up. "Okay, I'm bored. I'm going to walk around."

"Dammit!" Sakura cursed when he left the staff lounge. She ran after him, irritated by how she probably seemed like a lost puppy to him – something Sasuke was clearly taking advantage of to make her go where ever he went. "You're such an asshole, Uchiha."

"_Uchiha?"_

Sakura's eyes went wide when she realized her mistake.

Around the two of them, roaming through the halls, were at least eight ghosts, all of whom perked up immediately at Sasuke's surname.

Whimpering fearfully, Sakura pushed Sasuke into the nearest room and swiftly shut the door behind them. She wasn't stupid; she knew the ghosts could come through the walls if they wished to, but closing the door made her feel at least somewhat more comfortable.

"What the fuck, Sakura?" Sasuke growled, getting up from the floor. He brushed the dust off his dark jeans. "You've been acting pretty psycho all night, you know—"

"I see ghosts," she blurted out frantically. Sakura stared at him with pleading eyes, begging him not to dub her insane. "I… I can see dead people, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted. "You're hardly helping your case."

"Dammit, Sasuke, this isn't a joke!" Sakura yelled, gripping the front of his shirt. "I swear… just _please_ believe me."

He held her gaze for a few moments, seeing her desperation. He narrowed his eyes. "Fine, let's say you're telling the truth… so what?"

"So what?!" she repeated incredulously. "You're the grandson of Madara Uchiha! Every ghost in this god forsaken place likely wants revenge on him and you're the next best thing."

Sasuke paused, thinking. "Are you trying to say that I'm in danger because of some vengeful spirits?"

Sakura shook her head solemnly. "I'm saying we're _all_ in danger because of some vengeful spirits."

Before Sasuke could reply, someone screamed.

-

-

_tbc_

-


	26. griffin

**50alternates**

**Title: **griffin dorks**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #33 griffin  
**Word Count: **521**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

…

…

Sakura was at a loss for words. Sasuke, on the other hand, was struggling to control his amused and _smug_ grin.

"So let me get this straight," she began, "you put on the mask… and _this_ happened?"

Naruto nodded rapidly, almost poking his chest with his… beak. "_YES_." The wings on his back flapped with vigor. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, making some sort of odd animal sound at the end. "_WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO_?!"

Sakura paused, trying to think of a solution, but her moment of silence was interrupted by Sasuke snickering at Naruto's misfortune. She glared at him. "Sasuke, you are just as much at fault for this situation as Naruto."

He stopped laughing. "_How_?" he asked, insulted.

"You were _with_ him!" Sakura pointed out. "Come on, Sasuke, it's a given that whoever goes with Naruto on missions is supposed to make sure he doesn't touch things that might hurt him, eat things that are likely detrimental to his health, fall for poorly hidden traps that only Naruto could fall for, and so on!"

The griffin pouted. "Oi!"

"What was your mission?" she asked with a sigh.

"To retrieve some sacred mask… though it looked like some piece of crap made by a kid," Sasuke replied. He pointed at Naruto. "I let the idiot hold it."

Sakura almost pulled out her hair. "What kind of logic is _that_? WHO LET'S _NARUTO_ HOLD PRICELESS ARTIFACTS?!" She shrieked and smacked Sasuke on the head. "My god, Sasuke, we learned this in our preteens! How could you forget such an important lesson?!"

Naruto was slowly getting more and more offended by these many unspoken rules, but no one paid him any heed.

"I didn't feel like holding the thing," Sasuke said, shrugging. "Who cares how it happened? Just fix it, Sakura. Stop freaking out."

Sakura's left eye twitched. "Do you think…" She broke off and took a few deep breaths to calm down. "_Do you think_ that my job is solely to fix _every _single one of your _stupid_ little screw ups?!" She crossed her arms and glared. "Because if so, _think again_."

Naruto nearly whimpered. "But Sakura-chan, if you don't help us, then we'll have to go to Tsunade-baachan and… she'll _kill us_," he said with a sad, sad pout. "I don't want to die a _griffin_!"

"And we'll get suspended from missions," Sasuke added, scowling.

The griffin nodded. "_Again_."

"Hmph!" Sakura continued to glare at them. "And _why_ should I help you two?"

Naruto smiled, showing off a set of ferocious looking teeth. "Because you love us?"

She snorted and busied herself by looking at her nails. "Try again."

"Because you're beautiful and kind and smart and awesome?"

The corners of her lips lifted, much to her dismay. "One more time."

"Because Sasuke will take you out to that expensive restaurant that you really want to go to… on a _date_?"

Sakura paused and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, who was glaring at Naruto. "Will he now?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, raising his chin snobbishly.

With a small sigh, Sakura shrugged. "Well then I _guess_ can help you two."

-

-


	27. steam powered

**50alternates**

**Title: **birthday boy**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #18 steam powered  
**Word Count: **502**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

MY HBD-SASUKE FIC!

-

-

"So I've come to a decision."

Sakura looks up from the instruction manual she's reading. Naruto gave me some odd contraption of sorts as my so-called birthday present, that freaking moron. She tried to turn it on, but according to the directions, it was steam-powered.

Damn idiot.

It was _just_ like Naruto to give me something I don't need and will never use.

Sigh.

"Did you now?" she asks. She sounds rather mocking, really. Sakura gets up from her chair and stands by the edge of the bed. She has her hands on her hips and looks kinda hot.

Wait.

_What_?

I clear my throat awkwardly and cross my arms. "Yes," I tell her in my alpha male voice while tugging her down to sit with me. I level her with a stern stare but she doesn't seem to take me seriously. "We're immortal, Sakura. We're going to be around for a _long_ time."

Come to think of it, she hasn't actually respected me for at least two centuries now…

Dammit.

"That's not a decision, Sasuke-kun," she drawls, smirking.

Thanks, Sakura. I roll my eyes and ignore her. "My _decision_ is that we only celebrate my birthday every hundred years. Or so." Because really, I can only tolerate Naruto and Kakashi's drunken presences so many times. They're so annoying.

"Really now?" Sakura continues being all coy and mocking. I think I liked her better when she was a mindless fan girl who'd do whatever I wanted. Those were the days. Sigh.

"_Yes_."

I glare at her and can't help but notice that her robe is loosening. And that she isn't wearing one of my t-shirts. Wait. So what's she wearing?

"That's too bad," Sakura says. Not that I'm really listening. After living with her for so many centuries, you learn how to drown her out. Slowly, she opens the robe and pushes it back, holding it there with her hands on her hips and—

Oh.

Oh _god_.

"_What are you wearing_?!" I hear myself squeak. And I never squeak. Fuck that.

"Oh, this little thing?" And little it is. Really. Barely covering her chest and barely touching her thighs. Sakura smiles and touches her lip with one finger. Then the finger moves. Down. Down her neck, to her collarbone, to the valley between her breasts and back up again.

_Dammit_.

Then she closes the robe again.

Wait.

_What_?!

Sakura smirks and then sighs. "Oh well. I guess I can just put this away for next time." She looks thoughtful, tilting her head ever so slightly (baring her pretty little neck in the process) and pretends to ponder. "I'll just wait another hundred years." She shrugs. "It's like you said – we _are_ immortal and we _do_ have forever! You've got plenty of birthdays to come!"

Just like that, she takes the robe back off but dives straight under the covers.

I sit on the bed and stare at her back.

Which is barely covered by anything.

Dammit.

"Wait, Sakura, I changed my mind!"

-

-

-

**So I've been on a horror fix for quite some time. Especially zombies. I like those ones. Anyway I'm going to recommend ****Die, Everyone's Doing It**** and ****Tales Told By Dead Friends**** by allurement, and ****Sinless**** by Annie Sparklecakes. Seriously, they're great. Let's all encourage them to update! :D:D**


	28. darkness

**50alternates**

**Title: **things that bump in the night**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #6 darkness  
**Word Count: **1038**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

-

-

It was just a legend and this was just a dare.

"_What's it like in there?"_

I jumped as Ino's voice broke the tense silence within the abandoned Uchiha Manor up on what townsfolk liked to call the Haunted Hill. The old house was home to one of Konoha's biggest scandals. Thirty years ago, Itachi Uchiha, after coming home from many, many years in the Asylum in Oto, murdered his entire family – or at least that's what they say.

No one really knew what happened to his younger brother, Sasuke; his body was never found.

It's a sad story, really. From the newspapers I've seen before, Sasuke, who _apparently_ died at sixteen, was pretty hot.

"Cold," I answered as quietly as I could. It was wrong to be here. Very wrong. I couldn't help myself though. When Kiba and Naruto said I'd be too much of a wimp to go in the Haunted Uchiha Manor by myself, I couldn't help but take them up on that. All I had to do was go in up to the attic, shine my flashlight out the window for them to see from their place in Kiba's car across the street, and then I could go. "It's really cold and it's quiet."

"_Are you scared?"_ she asked, matching my whisper. _"I'd be scared if I went. Hell, I wouldn't have even gone."_

Naruto laughed in the background. _"Of course she's scared, Ino. Don't you ever listen to the stories? Whoever goes into the Uchiha house _never_ comes back out. Why wouldn't she be scared?"_

I rolled my eyes and moved my flashlight around. "I'm not—"

_Creek._

Immediately, I jumped back and looked up at where I heard the squeak. What the hell was that? It came from the attic… I shook my head and pointed my flashlight up, dragging the light along the length of the top floor hallway. There was nothing there and no other footsteps could be heard so… I was alone.

Right?

Stop being stupid, Sakura. Ugh. I gave myself a good slap in the face and proceeded down the hall to where the stairs for the attic could be pulled down. At the end of the hall was a small, wooden table, now covered with layers of dust. There was a white, porcelain vase with what were probably flowers thirty years ago and behind it, a medium-sized mirror.

Looking in the mirror, I could've called_ myself_ the ghost of the Uchiha Manor. I touched my face, disgustingly pale with the bright moonlight coming out the large window nearby. Ugh. I pointed the flashlight at the mirror and flinched at how bright it got. I needed to get out of there.

"_Sakura? Hey, are you okay! Forehead, answer me—"_

"I'm _fine_," I hissed into the walkie-talkie, closing my eyes doing my yoga breathing to try regaining my composure because _dammit_ she scared me _again_. "I just thought I heard some…thing…"

I froze. My eyes squeezed shut even tighter as _something_ brushed along my neck. Inhaling sharply, I held in my whimper. Oh, god. What the hell is going on? As if that _thing_ was listening to my thoughts, it chuckled. Someone was _breathing_ behind me – something was _alive_ in this house. I couldn't hear anything but I could _feel_ the cold, cold, _cold_ puffs of air dancing along my skin. The ghost or ghoul or spirit or _my imagination_ grew bolder and suddenly it was gripping my arms.

"Open your eyes," it whispered – _he_ whispered. Cool lips brushing along my ear and I shivered.

Grudgingly, I did so. All I could see behind me was a set of malicious red eyes and a taunting smirk on a handsome face framed by spikey black hair. Fuck. A ghost. He had to be a ghost. He looked like the second son – the one no one knew about. My heart beat wildly. I pointed the flashlight at the window and prayed one of those idiots outside would see me.

"_Sakura Haruno, you cheater, I said flash it from the _attic_, not the second floor."_

Before I could reply, the walkie-talkie was ripped from my hand and thrown across the hall. "No!" I screamed. I gathered what little courage I had and ripped away from him. Frantically, I searched the ground for the walkie-talkie. Where was it?!

"Ah!" I growled curses under my breath as he yanked me up by the hair. I could feel the strands being ripped from the roots. "Stop it!"

"Stupid girl," he hissed. He held me up by the throat. I could feel myself losing air. He laughed cruelly when I attempted to claw at him. "Foolish." He dropped me but grabbed my hair again to prevent my escape.

"Please!" I yelled. I gave up trying to be strong. Tears streamed down my face and I sobbed pathetically. "Please! Let me go!" He snorted and pulled. "Stop!"

"Have you never heard the stories?" he whispered. He continued to drag me up. Oh, god. He was leading me to the dark attic.

I thrashed. I ignored the burning sensation on my scalp. "No! Leave me alone!"

"_Shut up_."

He threw me to the dusty floor and began to walk to the window. Quietly, I tried to crawl back to the small opening and get down the ladder. I could make it. I could make it—

"Bitch," he growled, pulling me by the back of my shirt, throwing me aside. I groaned, feeling his weight on top of me. The sounds stopped when his fingers laced around my throat. He smiled sadistically. That sick bastard. He pressed his forehead against mine. He was too close. I barely had enough air as it was. How the fuck was I supposed to breathe?! He simply chuckled and loosened his grip on my throat. His cruel laughter continued as I struggled beneath him. "You whine too much."

Sneering at me, he silenced my whimpers by mashing his lips against mine. The back of my lips grinded against my teeth and could taste blood when he bit me. I squeezed my eyes shut and did all I could – accept defeat.

"Have you never heard the stories?" He smiled against my lips.

The flashlight flickered and I panicked.

_No, no, fuck, please no—_

"Once you enter the Uchiha Manor, you can _never_ leave."

The batteries died and I was engulfed in darkness.

-

-

**edited.** sorry, i assumed it was a given that the ghost was sasuke as these fics centre around sasuke and sakura.


	29. snake

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #49 snake  
**Word Count:** 1007  
**Warnings:** swearing; I forgot how to write SasuSaku; TOO MANY PLOTHOLES (OH WELL)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

Hey guys! So it's been a looooong time. As in nearly two years. Sorry about that! I can guarantee that this anthology WILL be complete, however. Sure, it will probably take a very long time buuuut yes.

* * *

"Young ladies aren't supposed to listen to talking snakes, you know." Sakura eyed the sleek back serpent for a moment thoughtfully. "Even if they do speak very little…"

Nevertheless, Sakura plucked a shiny red apple from the tree and rubbed it clean with the folds of her skirt. The serpent slithered towards her, curling so that it could be at eye-level with her now seated form. Sakura raised an eyebrow and cocked her head at it.

"I've always wondered something," she murmured, holding her hand out to the snake. "What colour are your eyes? Sometimes they look red, but sometimes they look black – which, I realize, sounds silly, since red and black are rather far off from each other, but—"

"Both."

Sakura stopped fiddling with the apple and frowned. "I don't understand."

"You will in time," the snake said cryptically.

Sakura was not satisfied with that answer, however. "If I'm to help you regain your body don't you think I deserve to know more about you?"

All Sakura truly did know about her slithering companion was that he was turned into a snake by the great sorceress Tsunade nearly five centuries ago. The snake explained how Tsunade's mind had become tainted by the arts and when he learned of the black magic she was practicing, she transformed him into a serpent to keep him quiet. Sakura found the snake six months ago earlier when she was picking tomatoes for her grandmother. For whatever reason, Sakura was the only human who understood him when he spoke. And she didn't seem particularly frightened by the idea of a talking snake so he chose to remain by her side.

Then again, the snake mused, Sakura was an odd girl. She was very quiet around other people and kept herself confined to her grandmother's library most of the time.

"You haven't even told me your name," Sakura pointed out.

"Ssassuke," it eventually hissed.

"Sasuke?" she repeated. "I see…" Sakura ran her fingers along Sasuke's cool scales while staring intently at the apple. "So all I have to do is eat the Senju apple?"

"Yess."

There was silence as Sakura tried to understand why eating the apple would give her the ability to return Sasuke to his original form. Annoyed, she scowled at the snake. "I still don't understand!"

Sasuke inwardly bristled. Part of him wanted to give up on Sakura and poison the annoying girl, but he knew he would never be able to find another person with such magical potential – not for another century at least. He understood that it was necessary to stay on the girl's good side given she was his only hope, but in their six months of companionship, he noticed that sometimes she could be quite _irritating_. Relenting, Sasuke slithered over to the spellbook Sakura brought along – one that once belonged to Tsunade – and whipped at the pages to get to the one he wanted.

"'The Senju Tree'?" Sakura read aloud.

"Yess," Sasuke said. "Tssunade never had children. Ssince the main line did not continue the powerss of the Ssenju ssorererss returned to the Ssenju tree. But you are disstantly related to her. With that little Ssenju blood in your veins, you can inherit her magic."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "And I can reverse the spell on you."

"Exact—"

Sakura grabbed the snake just below his head, ignoring his tail whipping about. "Tell me the truth, Sasuke. Why were you _really_ turned into a snake?" Sasuke hissed at her and his mouth opened widely as if trying to bite her. Sakura held on confidently, however. "You're Sasuke _Uchiha_, aren't you? The man who left the village in Tsunade's time to train with the Dark Sorcerer Orochimaru? _Tsunade_ wasn't the evil one, was she?"

The snake merely hissed at her, violently whipping his body.

She smiled. "What exactly do you plan to do once you get your body back, Sasuke? It's been five hundred years. What do you want?"

His eyes seemed to glow red. "My _freedom_—" Sasuke was about to say something else when Sakura threw him at the Senju tree, watching silently as he fell limply to the grass. When he finally regained his bearings, he curled up and glared at her. He prepared to launch himself at her, but was stopped when he heard the crunch of her teeth digging into the apple.

He watched stiffly as green light gathered around her hands and she approached him. She touched his scaled head and suddenly all he could feel was pain – excruciating, agonizing pain, as though his skin was being burnt right off of him and his insides were being yanked from his body. Sasuke pulled violently at his hair as the hurt engulfed his entire being when it hit him.

Hair.

Hands.

He opened his eyes and looked down only to see flesh. To see limbs. His body felt stiff and sore but he couldn't have cared less – he had a _body_.

"I suppose I should thank you," he said gruffly. His voice was incredibly hoarse from not having been used for centuries. He raised his head to see Sakura looking at him with a mix of awe and embarrassment. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk; he knew he was a handsome man and it'd been ages since a woman last reacted to him in such a way.

Seeing his smug expression, Sakura scowled. "That won't be necessary," she replied. "You have an eternity to make it up to me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me?" He tried to sound threatening and with how rough his voice was, any other person would have been terrified. Sakura, however, was not moved.

"You will _never_ be free, Sasuke Uchiha." She flicked her hand and suddenly a glow appeared on his chest. Sasuke looked down at the luminescent characters right above his heart, recognizing them as ancient runes used by dark sorcerers for enslavement.

The gravity of the situation dawned on him and Sasuke growled menacingly. "You little bitch!"

Sakura smiled. "You're _mine_ now."

**fin**


	30. wolf

**50alternates**

**Title:** and so she slept  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #50 wolf  
**Word Count:** 1027  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

I started this last semester when I was in a class on Fantasy and Horror. For one week, my readings were Stephan King's _Cycle of the Werewolf_ and Angela Carter's short story _The Company of Wolves_—both of which I highly recommend! Anyway, this fic was inspired more so by the latter. Enjoy!

Also, if it really matters to anyone, I'll say they're twenty in this fic.

* * *

Sakura pulled the folds of her cloak tighter around her body to keep out the cold to no avail. She shivered and began to walk faster. Shizune had been expecting her earlier that day, but much earlier, back when the sun was still up and Sakura could actually _see_ the path in front of her.

The snap of twigs and the crunch of dried leaves beneath her boots echoed through the darkened woods. Still, she held her head high and simply walked faster, refusing to let her imagination wander.

Really, she'd made a very poor decision to go into the woods that day – to go into the woods _at all_. The entire village knew that there was a Werewolf lurking among the trees. That was why everyone (the men, the women, and even the children) carried knives around with them. Sakura felt the slightest bit more confident knowing she had one in her basket among the herbs she'd picked earlier.

"There's no need to be afraid," she murmured to herself, before jumping when she heard a stick snap mere meters away from her.

Sakura came to a sudden halt, nearly dropping her basket in shock.

All she saw was the outline of a great beast. Under the moonlight, his silvery fur gleamed with every slight movement. Sakura tried to hold her breath when his pointed ears twitched, most likely at her sudden heaving. She could only swallow nervously at the size of him! His entire body rippled with muscle and she knew he could tear her head off with a single yank – that was, of course, if he didn't choose to rip her throat out.

The monster stared at her calculatingly, its red eyes glimmering. Sakura held his gaze fearfully until a glimmer on his chest caught her attention. There, hanging by a chain was a ring.

A _wedding band_.

Sakura didn't bother to contain her shock. Nodding to herself, she hardened her resolve and glared at the beast.

"They teach us that the Werewolf is a monster that must be killed upon first sight," she murmured as she ran her finger over the blade in her basket. Her gaze was locked onto his snout; his snarling mouth; his bloodied fangs. Sakura took a step closer and refrained from flinching when the beast growled at her. "They teach us," she continued, her voice now louder and stronger, her eyes now locked onto his, "that the Werewolf was once a man – a power-hungry _fool_ who sought this strength through diabolical means." She took another step. She was so close that she could make out the flecks of moonlight reflected by his gleaming eyes. She could smell the coppery odor of his last meal. She could hear nothing but the dark rumbling from his chest. Yet she wasn't afraid. Instead, Sakura moved forward once more and closed her eyes. She let go of her knife and placed her hand on the side of the beast's face, reveling in the softness of his fur. "They teach us to fear the Werewolf."

The beast roared and knocked her hand away. He pushed her back and leapt onto her prostrate form when she fell.

"They teach us the Werewolf is simply man's primal nature," she added. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the beast's growling. It didn't occur to her that her words could be in vain – that the beast had no understanding of what she was saying. Sakura thought carefully for a moment and then dared to touch him again. "They teach us to hate the Werewolf, but I've always wondered why. If the Werewolf is man's inner animal, then aren't we _all_ monsters?"

Sakura stared up at the beast, idly looking into its frightening red eyes.

"Are you going to kill me, _Sasuke_?"

All it took was the beast's former name to provoke it into an enraged howl.

"Leave," he ordered. His voice was gravelly and hoarse; he hadn't used it in quite some time. "_Go_." Despite his command, his hands – his _paws_ – squeezed her arms, claws digging into her snow white skin. He panted harshly against her before finally letting go and stumbling back. "You… you have to _go_," he ground out.

"I knew you were still alive," she choked out, holding back a sob. "The day you disappeared everyone said you died!"

That day had been nearly a year ago, a few days after Sasuke married her. She'd fallen ill when she learnt her new husband had disappeared, thinking he had simply abandoned her. However, upon moving into the Uchiha manor and discovering his journals, she realized his intention had been to find a cure to the Werewolf's curse – the very curse his brother had fallen under years before, causing him to slaughter his entire family before fleeing the village. When Sasuke and his grandfather Madara were the only survivors, rumors came about that they too was cursed but no one dared directly confront them. Still, that was enough to provoke Madara to leave the village when Sasuke was fifteen.

But these rumors were true. Sasuke had discovered that his grandfather was the one who cursed Itachi and drove him to kill their family. When Itachi killed himself in his despair after years of living in the forests of Konoha fifteen months ago, Madara returned to place the curse on Sasuke.

Her resolve broke and her eyes watered. "I'm glad you're alive."

Fearlessly, she pressed her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her placid form possessively and she embraced the warmth of his fur. "Sasuke," she murmured. The wolf snarled at her for reminding him of his human name. She placed her hands on his beastly body, comparing the soft fur to the smooth porcelain skin that it used to be. She closed her eyes and smiled. "You're a stupid, stupid man."

The Werewolf howled and Sakura thought he sounded sad – regretful. His grip tightened and Sakura could feel the sting from the places his claws had nicked. She could feel his anguished growls more so than hear them, but she remained calm in his arms.

Sakura had nothing to fear.

**fin**


	31. horse

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #48 horse  
**Word Count:** 475  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

A continuation of Chapter 15 (dryad)

* * *

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, slowly growing annoyed.

"You may not realize this but _you are_ _becoming a burden_," he growled, hoping she'd hear his threat.

Sakura merely giggled and continued to splash around in the shallow end of the creek. She held the bottom of her dress in one hand and was petting Midnight, his horse, with the other. All she'd had to do was wave a hand for the horse to listen to her and join her. His companion was slowly growing more and more spoiled ever since that annoying _princess_ joined them, Sasuke glumly noticed.

He scowled. "Dammit." He stomped over to the two of them and grabbed Midnight's reins. "Sakura, I told you that I would leave you behind when—"

He was interrupted when water hit him in the face.

More splashing was heard and when he opened his eyes, Sakura was stepping back, nervousness and regret written all over her face. Still, she smiled like an idiot and continued laughing. She immediately ran behind Midnight as though this was a game.

"That's it," he muttered to himself. "I'm leaving you."

Her eyes widened. "_WHAT_?"

Sasuke glared at her. "You're becoming a burden – no, you _are_ a burden. Always have been. You can't hunt, you can't fight, you really can't do anything—"

He was cut off when suddenly a vine shot up from the earth and wrapped itself around his arm to yank him down. His fighting instincts took over and Sasuke pulled a knife out of his boot to cut the vine. Another one tried to attack him from behind, but Sasuke sliced it in half before it could even touch him.

"I'm a burden, am I?"

His eyes widened in realization and he stopped fighting the wild vines. Furious, Sasuke turned to Sakura who was now standing in front of Midnight, petting him while glaring at him defiantly.

"How?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged and smiled bitterly. "I'm the king's bastard daughter, remember? Has no one ever wondered who my mother is?"

Sasuke nodded when everything began to click. "Your mother was a dryad. So you can control nature then?"

She shook her head. "I can't _control_ nature, but most things choose to listen to me." Sakura looked back to Midnight and brushed his hair. "I can talk to the plants and animals, you see."

"And that's how you got my infamous horse to like you?" he asked irritably, jealous of how much Midnight seemed to favor her.

"Maybe," she replied mischievously.

They stood in silence for a moment before Sasuke sighed. "Fine, you're not a _complete_ burden," he muttered, his version of an apology.

"So then you won't leave me?" she asked happily.

Sasuke strode past her and got on the horse. He held out a hand to her, silently telling her to join him.


	32. water

**50alternates**

**Title: **star-crossed lovers**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **other world, #04 water  
**Word Count: **915  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

A prequel to the Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox series – chapters 10 (treasure), 11 (air) and 23 (naiad)

* * *

.

"Are you sure about this?"

His voice was slick like oil and underneath his apparent concern, she knew for a fact that there was none. He was an immortal just like her and she knew _very_ well that he was a selfish bastard just as most immortals were.

"Five years is a long time," he whispered, pretending to worry.

She nodded slowly. "Yes," she replied in a low voice. "I'm sure about this."

"For _five years_ you will live like a _mortal_. You will feel discomfort and fatigue and hunger and longing—"

"I know longing," she whispered, interrupting his tirade as a sad smile formed on her lips slowly. "I _know_ longing…"

The black-haired man smirked. "Yes," he responded touching a lock of her long hair. He caressed the light strands between his pale fingers, rubbing at its smoothness. "I am sure you do. But as I was saying, you will live five years being a human—_never_ at all being able to touch the sea. Are you sure you want to do that?" he questioned. "Your life is the sea." He shook his head. "No, you _are_ the sea."

Her smile grew. "No," she murmured. Her voice was almost whimsical and she looked as though she was dreaming.

She stepped across the dusty planks of the wooden floor and over to the window. She then looked down at the splashing waves against dark blue sea and the docked greatness that was the Kusanagi. She squinted and then managed to make out _his_ form standing on the deck of the vast ship.

She turned her head back to the man she was speaking to with a thrilled expression on her face.

"I may be the sea, but _he_ is my life."

"Hn." His smirked widened as the woman turned and continued to stare longingly at the man aboard the Kusanagi. "Very well."

He then pulled at her shoulder to turn her around and slapped a hand to her heart, an echo resulting from the harsh impact. In an instant she felt something in her being pulled away, as though she were being torn apart; her body felt as if it was on fire. There was a throbbing in the back of her head and from the place his hand was and outwards, it was as though flames were running through her veins while some part of her was being ripped away. Tears began to well in her eyes as she struggled slightly against his draining hand, but she managed to pull through. The process hurt very much, but she kept in mind what she would have after it was over and that was enough to pull her through the process.

When he finished taking from her, she dropped to her knees, clutching at her heart and breathing hard.

"You are mortal now, my dear."

She moaned in pain and he smirked.

"Enjoy."

.

* * *

.

She was cursed now, but Sakura liked to think of it as a gift.

Now she would be able to be with him. Orochimaru's deal had been for five years only, but she was sure he could just do the process over again. As a mortal, they could be together always – find a new home, get married, have children, grow old with one another. As the Sea Goddess she once was, all that would have been impossible. She had been his lover for nearly a year before being given mortality, but in that span of time, she could only keep her humanistic form for one day at the most, doing so in instances weeks apart.

She came to him as a new mortal that night in a tavern where the Kusanagi was docked. She found him sitting at a table, sipping on his ale as a barmaid insistently tried to coax him into leaving with her.

A brush of rage ran through her and Sakura almost laughed giddily, realizing the human emotion of jealousy was what she just experienced. Shaking her head of the joy, Sakura walked over to him faster and sat down on the chair across from the dark-haired pirate. The barmaid took a glimpse at her before scowling and walking away.

Sakura looked at him and then stood up once again. Now that she able to walk on the earth's soils, Sakura couldn't help her urge to savor her time of being allowed to do so. She flashed her lover a coy grin and then proceeded to walk outside of the bar. He soon followed and they walked towards the forests.

He frowned and finally broke the silence with his curiosity. "How are you on land?"

There was unease written on his face and Sakura was touched by his concern. She felt her heart swell at his question and she smiled back at him. "I'm a mortal now, Sasuke."

"What?" Sasuke's frown only deepened. He stopped walking and stared harshly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a mortal," she repeated slowly.

For a wise woman, she often made stupid mistakes, Sasuke thought sullenly. "How?"

"I…" Sakura looked down at her lap with a sad smile. "I gave up my powers – my immortality!" For a moment, her expression turned morose. "However, I can never touch the ocean again, but…" Sakura lifted her head and grinned at him. "But now we can truly be together."

Sasuke stayed silent, struggling to take in her words. His jaw clenched as he thought of their misfortune.

"The Kusanagi is mine. I'm captain now."


	33. dwarf

**50alternates**

**Title:** the lost kingdom  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #27 dwarf  
**Word Count:** 618  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"Would it _kill_ you to try living up to your apparent title?" Naruto shouted, punching Sasuke's legs to no avail. The cursed Prince Charming shifted ever so slightly, knocking Naruto over.

Shikamaru sighed and pulled Naruto back onto his feet. "This is why we've dubbed you Dopey," he pointed out before yawning.

Naruto rolled his eyes when Shikamaru plopped onto the carpet, court propriety be damned. "And _that_ is why _you_ are Sleepy."

"I actually just call all of you Stupid with a number after it," Sasuke said dryly, sitting down on his throne. Or well, the King's throne. When the Sound Witch's curse plagued the Fire Kingdom five years ago, condemning everyone to an eternal sleep, Sasuke had his parents' bodies moved to their chambers. He couldn't bear to see them slumped over in their thrones.

"I don't understand why you make this so hard," Naruto continued. He renewed his efforts to cause some damage to Sasuke with his tiny, ineffectual fists.

He really hated being a dwarf. They all did, really. The Sound Witch obviously had one sick sense of humor, deciding to the turn the Prince's knights into _dwarves_ until he found a way to break the curse. Actually, he didn't even need to _find_ a way. The South Witch told him between satisfied cackles that all he needed was True Love's Kiss. The _real _problem was that Sasuke wasn't _capable_ of love.

They were doomed.

_Doomed_.

"There is a girl in this castle who is somehow putting up with your shit," Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke shrugged. "So?"

"UGH!" Naruto pulled at his hair irritably.

Shikamaru snorted thinking about the _last_ time the knights (or well, dwarves) tried to give Sasuke an intervention. "Not a single fuck was given that day," he mumbled as he stood up. Shikamaru crossed his arms and leveled the prince with a flat stare. "Look, Sasuke, we're all cursed. You? Somehow, despite the fact that the Sound Witch hated _you_ the most, _you_ got out of the curse unscathed. But everyone else? No. Your knights are now _dwarves_, Sasuke." He paused before using his trump card. "And your people and your _parents_—"

"I_ know_," Sasuke interrupted. He almost sounded guilty. Sasuke sighed and slouched in the throne. "But she's so _annoying_!"

_And pretty. And smart. And kind—_

It had been nearly three months since Sakura Haruno ended up in his castle.

Sasuke had no idea how the Fire Kingdom had gone five years without being attacked or invaded given their weakened state. Somehow, however, that little girl stumbled into his castle and decided that the random sleeping people left and right didn't bother her and that she'd like to take up residence there. Naruto and Kiba and the others had a little too much fun tormenting her on her first night in the castle, pretending to be little gremlins or whatnot, but she eventually warmed up to everyone.

Or well, everyone but Sasuke.

Sure, Sakura was attracted to him. Everyone knew that. The sleeping people knew that.

The problem was Sasuke. Prince Sasuke who refused to let anyone in – who refused to give her a chance to see if she could be the mouth behind that magic kiss.

"She's _annoying_," Sasuke repeated to himself. "Really, really annoying."

"Who's annoying?"

Sasuke nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. He stood up and pointed at her accusingly while looking to Naruto and Shikamaru imploringly. "See?" Sasuke turned to her and scowled. "Who said you could enter the throne room, woman?"

Sakura appeared hurt for a moment, before muttering obscenities under her breath and leaving the room.

Naruto brought his hands to his face and whimpered.

The Fire Kingdom was _doomed_.


	34. hawk

**50alternates**

**Title:** the lost kingdom 2/3  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #47 hawk  
**Word Count:** 748  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

A continuation of the previous chapter. I'm glad you guys enjoyed this random blend of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast.

* * *

The prince stared out at his kingdom, musing how the Sound Witch's curse essentially froze the Leaf Kingdom. Somehow, the fields weren't withered and the buildings didn't fall victim to the elements. Heck, even his mother's cherished garden looked like it was being tended to daily (which, actually, was a possibility since dwarfism aside, Itachi probably felt obligated to take care of it – that and he secretly enjoyed gardening). It was as though the entire kingdom was simply stuck in the moment when the Witch decided Sasuke deserved to be punished and put his people to sleep and turned his twelve knights into dwarves. Still, as kind as the curse seemed – for Sasuke knew things could have been much worse – he knew that something had to be done.

Soon.

"You're running out of time, Sasuke."

Sasuke barely flinched when the hawk landed on his shoulder, its talons digging into his skin ever so slightly.

"I know," he murmured. Sasuke gently swatted at the bird and it flew over to the balcony railing.

"I see there's a girl in the castle now," the hawk said slyly as its single eye failed to hide the bird's amusement.

Immediately, Sasuke flushed. "Uh, yeah. That's Sakura." He felt the hawk's gaze locked on him and frowned. "Could you change forms?"

The hawk tilted its head. "You know I can't do that…" They both knew that the Sound Witch would be able to sense any magic taking place in the Leaf Kingdom.

"Kakashi!" Sasuke growled irritably, "Who cares if that bitch will know magic is being used here? The deadline is nearing. She's already won—" He was cut off by a smack to the back of his head, indicating that his teacher had indeed change forms.

"Why are you already giving up, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"I'll be twenty-one in two months," he pointed out solemnly. Both of them tensed at the idea of the Sound Witch's deadline. She never actually said _what_ would happen on that deadline, but Sasuke couldn't take any risks. "She won't _love_ me, Kakashi."

Kakashi sighed and rolled his single eye. "Because you won't let her, you dumb brat."

Sasuke scowled at him. "I'm better off just seeking the Witch out killing her." He nodded confidently. "You've been training me in both combat _and_ magic since I was a kid! I wasn't strong enough when she cursed us all but I am _now_." Sasuke stormed into his room and began throwing various weapons onto his bed, deciding which ones to take with him on his epic quest to save the Leaf Kingdom.

"Seriously?" Kakashi incredulously muttered. "You're going to go off to battle a witch that's been around for _centuries_ because you're afraid of kissing a girl?"

"…okay, it sounds much more ridiculous when you say it like that, however—"

Kakashi took Sasuke's sword for him and put it into his own belt. "Sasuke, likely because I'm another sorcerer, I escaped the effects of the curse. However, there are people counting on you _growing a pair_ and just _kissing a girl_." Ignoring the prince's protests, Kakashi shoved him out of his room and shut the door.

"Bastard," Sasuke muttered as steadied himself on his feet.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stiffened at the feminine voice, knowing there was only one woman in the castle capable of speech at the moment. He thought about Kakashi's logic: kissing a girl _would_ be more sensible than venturing off to fight a witch rumoured to be capable of transforming into a great black dragon…

"Hello," he replied slowly. He immediately cursed himself for sounding so ridiculous. "What are you doing up so late?" he asked, eyeing the book she held against her chest.

"Oh, I was just in the library, but…" Her expression soured. "Well, Naruto found me and wouldn't stop talking, but I _really_ wanted to finish this book so I _may_ have told him I was going to bed."

Sasuke smirked. "Yeah, he's idiot."

"He's a nice man," Sakura offered gently, "However, he can be rather… exuberant."

"You can say 'stupid.' I do it all the time." Sakura giggled and Sasuke felt something flutter in his stomach. "Um…" Sasuke shifted from foot to foot nervously.

"Yes?" she said expectantly.

"Would you, uh, like to go for a walk?" he mumbled, his cheeks turning redder and redder with every word. "In the garden, I mean. It's, uh, really… nice?"

Sakura smiled back shyly and hooked her arm through his.

"I'd like that."

* * *

**There will be one more part after this. Not sure **_**when**_**, but as you can tell, this is a ridiculously light-hearted series so happy endings galore!**


	35. phoenix

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #37 phoenix  
**Word Count:** 1037  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

"I need your help with something."

Sakura looked up from the chart in her hands and saw Sasuke on the other side of the desk with a perturbed expression on his face. This confused her greatly. Since she met the security guard on her fifth day as a surgical intern at Konoha General so many years ago, he never seemed particularly fazed by _anything_. But there he was standing before her like his life was on the line. She nodded slowly and went around the nurses' station to go beside him. "What is it?" she asked quietly. Judging by the fact that he came to her directly, he was most likely looking for someone discrete.

Sasuke shook his head instead of speaking. He grabbed her by the wrist and began dragging her to the elevator. When they entered, he hit the top floor and insistently pressed the close button until the doors finally slid shut.

"Sasuke, where are we going?" Sakura asked reluctantly, breaking the tense silence.

"Office," he replied. She frowned at his curt tone. "My friend…" Sasuke's lips fell into a grim line and he shook his head once again. "It's better if you just see him."

"Okay."

Accepting his answer, they waited impatiently for the elevator to get to the eighth floor. When they finally arrived there, Sasuke grabbed her once again and walked speedily to the security room. He paused in front of the door and looked around to make sure the hall was clear. Sakura knew it was just past three in the morning so she doubted anyone would be around. Satisfied that they were alone, he took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

After being pushed in, Sakura heard Sasuke lock the door once again and grew anxious. The room was dark, illuminated solely through a series of screens showing various parts of the lifeless hospital. Given how late it was, the room was empty except for them.

Or so she thought.

"Sasuke?" she called nervously. "What—"

"Over here," he interrupted, gesturing for her to follow him behind the row of cameras.

Hesitantly, she went to his side. When she finally saw what he was being so secretive about, Sakura could only scowl at how anticlimactic the entire situation was. There, lying on the linoleum floor was Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke's rather boisterous roommate, with a blanket over his lower body. Sakura met Naruto years ago in the hospital cafeteria where he was attempting to be a chef. Naruto had been in and out of jobs for way too long but always seemed to get a position at Konoha General, likely because of his relation to the hospital administrator.

"Sasuke," Sakura began darkly, "if you brought me here just—"

"Something is wrong with him," Sasuke cut off. There was a trace of desperation in his voice, rousing concern in Sakura. It wasn't often that Sasuke showed some care for his best friend. Sasuke swallowed and crouched down beside Naruto's writhing form, pushing his shoulder until he lay on his back. "He'd been complaining about stomach problems all week and he's had a fever for the past two days." He snorted and smiled bitterly, casting a dirty look at the spot beside Naruto's head. "I told him he was an idiot just five hours ago before coming in for work…"

"I see," Sakura said, not quite sure what to say. She knelt down across from Sasuke on Naruto's other side and placed a hand on her patient's forehead, grimly noting just how high his fever was.

"Then he came to visit me," Sasuke continued as he remained looking away. He groaned and sat back, running a hand through his hair. "Fucking idiot. He shouldn't have walked around in this damn _blizzard_!"

"He _walked_?" Sakura's frown deepened when she took in Naruto's lack of a jacket. Judging by how damp his shirt and hair were he probably just came in those clothes. Or, then again, that could just be the sweat. Sakura shook her head and decided that didn't matter. "We need to get him out of these wet clothes. Do you have anything with you?"

Sasuke didn't hear her though. "He came up here. What is _wrong_ with him? Any sick person would go to the ER, but no—"

"Sasuke…"

"—the idiot comes to _me_—"

"Sasuke!"

He stopped talking and looked at her. She was staring anxiously at Naruto, however. Sasuke glanced down to see what was troubling her and frowned. Naruto's shirt was raised and the blanket was pulled down, revealing a series of black marks on his abdomen—a swirl of sorts circled by peculiar eight symbols. Sakura's brow furrowed. She knew that image. She had no idea when or where she saw it, but somehow she'd seen whatever it was painted on Naruto's stomach at some point.

Then it hit her.

When Sakura was still an intern she'd spent a lot of her spare time on night shifts reading hospital records. Nearly twenty-five years ago a pregnant woman came in there with the same symbol on her own abdomen. There was only a patient file and a few statements from people who had seen her enter the E.R. that autumn night. There were no direct accounts because after delivering the woman's child, everyone that was in her operating room was slaughtered. Konoha General didn't know how to cover up how a woman and a doctor and countless nurses were killed in the span of a few hours and they didn't bother. To that very day, that case was a major mystery to the hospital.

Sakura gulped, recalling one person writing about how the woman was begging them to kill her—"to stop the cycle."

She shivered.

"Tattoo?" Sakura asked wearily. She didn't need to look at Sasuke to know he replied with a negative.

Steeling her resolve, Sakura moved to touch the marks but Sasuke grabbed her hand before she could make contact. When she frowned up at him, he merely shook his head. "Don't—"

He was cut off by Sakura's shriek.

There, below their joint hands, was a smaller, bloodier, _clawed_ one tearing its way out of Naruto's stomach.


	36. dragon

**50alternates**

**Title:** Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox (4)  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #25 dragon  
**Word Count:** 1063  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

So I literally looked at a list of mythical dragons on Wikipedia and wondered which name would sound coolest with 'island' or 'isle' next to it. I read up on Bakunawa a little and I noticed he was also called a serpent by some, which really confused me. Soooooo if you know his legend and dislike me calling him a dragon, my apologies.

In my mind, he is Gyarados.

Anyhow, this follows chapters 10 (treasure), 11 (air) and 23 (naiad). Enjoy!

* * *

"We need to go to the Isle of Bakunawa," Sakura ordered, pointing to the place on Sasuke's map.

He frowned. "Do you _want_ me to die?" She could only raise an eyebrow at him before he rolled his eyes. "Fine. Take that up with my men," he said. Around him, various crewmembers looked away shamefully, not wanting to make their fear of the great sea monster's known. "No ship would willingly sail into that territory."

Sakura merely glared back at him. Sensing the tension, Karin cleared her throat and asked: "Why do we need to go there?"

"I need my powers back," Sakura explained with a shrug. "As an Ancient, Bakunawa can restore them. You see, _captain_, Kyuubi's treasure will be well-guarded. Aside from the usual monsters that will want to end us, Kyuubi's fire demons will be around. What better way to get past them with two water spirits?"

Sasuke stared at her sternly for a few moments. "Is this absolutely necessary?"

"Would I tell you otherwise?" Sakura replied snidely.

The captain rolled his eyes and turned to his men. "Well? Any objections?" There were no responses, but Sasuke knew better. "We'll return to the Sound Islands before setting sail for the Isle of Bakunawa. Whoever _fears_ that monster is free to stay behind. I understand. Many of you have families to come home to." He then smirked. "However, for those that do not fear a glorious death at sea and wish to attain the treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox, we shall set sail in a fortnight."

When the Kusanagi eventually did leave Konoha two weeks later, Sasuke couldn't help but observe Sakura. She'd been much livelier since she took Karin's elixir, although they still did need to take occasionally breaks at various islands for her. He scowled, remembering how he couldn't join her on the land and she'd go off with that stupid boy that was captured with her.

"Who is he?" Sasuke finally asked her. Sasuke knew he was important for this quest but Sakura had yet to tell him why.

She grinned back smugly. "Does it bother you that you don't know?"

They were finally nearing their destination, putting both of them in better moods to the joy of everyone around them. Finally, there were at least civil with one another.

"Perhaps," Sasuke replied. But he wasn't in the mood to play mind games. "You care about him."

Her smile softened and Sakura looked away. "I do," she said quietly. "When I was in Konoha, I worked as a barmaid." Her cheeks were flushed, but Sasuke guessed that was more so a result of irritation than embarrassment. Sasuke knew how most women were treated in those places. "Naruto often helped out there as his uncle owned the establishment. He'd be sweeping and cleaning most of the time. One day the boy noticed I didn't quite have a home—"

"Where did you live?" Sasuke interrupted.

"The beach," Sakura admitted shyly. She ran her finger along the wooden rails distractedly. "I… I still wanted to be close to the sea."

Sasuke looked away with a curt nod. "Of course."

"Anyhow," she continued, pulling him away from his train of thoughts, "he and his mother took me in. It wasn't until a few years ago that I noticed the branding on his back."

"Branding?" Sasuke repeated. He watched as she drew a IX on the wood, seemingly unaware of her actions, and it him. "_He_ is the key?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "I'm not sure how, but I know his presence will be necessary for anyone seeking the treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"Do you think Kyuubi did it to him?"

Sakura shrugged. "I honestly have no idea—" She was cut off the boat suddenly rocked harshly, forcing her into Sasuke's arms. When she finally steadied herself, she scowled at his mischievous look.

"Well now I can only assume we are now in Bakunawa's territory," Suigetsu muttered wryly. "And that we're doomed." Sakura snorted at the man steering the ship. She had to admit that she found his attitude a good source of amusement during the less than enjoyable times on the Kusanagi.

"Are you sure he'll actually give you back your powers?" Karin asked, coming up to the bridge.

Sakura blushed. "Well, it would be most _presumptuous_ to say he would but—"

"_Sakura Haruno…_"

She cringed at the monstrous voice and turned around to face the water. Judging by the awed expressions on the crewmembers' faces, the Kusanagi had found what it was looking for her. Sakura kept her head bowed out of respect. "Bakunawa-sama—" But she was cut off by a loud roar that terrified the men. She saw the sky darkening and felt the waters growing rougher. "I've come to beg you to—"

"_You wish for me to restore you to your former glory, you foolish girl?_"

Sakura bit her lip, hearing his complete lack of sympathy. "Yes," she whispered, knowing he could hear her.

The great immortal finally rose from the waters revealing blue scales the size of a person and a monster that towered high over the Kusanagi. His gold eyes glowed in the surrounding darkness as he reared his head back and roared. Finally, he curled down to be leveled with the ship.

"_You disgraced your kind when you allowed _Orochimaru_ to take away your immortality_," the dragon chided, "_Why should I help you?_"

Sasuke stepped in front of her and stared at the dragon defiantly. "Bakunawa," he shouted confidently, "You will restore the former sea goddess' immortality and you will let us leave your waters peacefully."

Sakura's eyes widened at Sasuke's audacious move as many of his men gasped fearfully. Everyone expected the dragon to crash down onto the Kusanagi out of spite when Bakunawa let out a demonic roar. Instead, he dived back into the water, leaving them to his great waves. Sakura tried to go to the ledge to see what had become of the dragon only to feel an extreme weight on her body. At first all she felt was pain, as though she was being torn apart, but it faded just as quickly as it came. She froze, understanding the new feeling within her.

She grabbed Sasuke's shoulder to turn him around. "H—how—"

Her words came to a halt at the sight of red eyes.


	37. faun

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #30 faun  
**Word Count:** 702  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Team Seven cringed at the sight of their stone sensei.

"He looks happy," Naruto observed after a moment of silence.

While Sakura agreed, she knew they couldn't just let him remain a statue. "We need to fix him," she ordered. "Do we know any spells to fix this?"

Naruto snorted and looked at her disbelievingly. "Seriously? How can you expect us to when you don't? _You're_ the smart one among the three of us."

"Oi!" Sasuke muttered, punching Naruto.

Sakura decided to ignore the possible offense behind Sasuke indignation. She shook her head and poked Kakashi's stone arm. "Well, I know a spell," she admitted, "but I was just trying to see if you'd been keeping up with your studies, Naruto."

Kakashi had been missing for three days now, and considering how he made them train and study for nearly nine hours a day, those three days off were making Naruto a bit lazy. A lot lazy. While he and Sasuke sure as hell enjoyed the practical part of their time with Kakashi, the theory section was mind-numbingly boring. When Team Seven finally decided to search for him in the Forest of Death (as in _actually_ search—not just go in the Forest of Death like they had a tendency of doing without permission because it was a great place to be when intoxicated by Magic Mushrooms), they weren't all too surprised to find him crouched behind some bushes with a dirty leer on his face.

Sakura murmured an incantation and Kakashi's body suddenly began to twitch. He eventually stood up, brushing pieces of stone off of him.

"Took you little bastards long enough," he whined, putting his hands on his face.

"You're welcome," Sakura snidely muttered.

Naruto ignored Kakashi's obvious pain from having been in the same position for days and launched himself at his teacher. "Kaka-sensei! I _missed_ you!"

Kakashi could only sigh and let Naruto hug him. He awkwardly patted the _seventeen-year-old_ on the head as Naruto held on affectionately. "Er, I've missed you too, Naruto…"

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

Immediately, Kakashi straightened. "Well," he began nonchalantly, "as I was passing through the forest I saw a faun in the bushes peaking at the nymphs and _naturally_, since I am a _gentleman_, I tried to do something about it." The three could see his cheeks redden from what little of his face was visible. "However, the nymphs noticed me chastising that _horrid_ faun and thought _I_ was the one _peeking_ on them." Kakashi scoffed and crossed his arms indignantly. "Given what a chivalrous man I am, I am _deeply offended_ and—"

"Oh, give it a rest you old pervert," Sakura muttered.

"Let's go get ramen!" Naruto suggested, yanking on Sakura and dragging her away. "We have to celebrate that we found Kakashi-sensei and saved him! Ne, sensei, what was it like being a statue?"

"Horrible. I could see _everything_."

Naruto grinned. "Well it's a good thing we rescued you!"

"What is this 'we' you speak of?" Sakura interrupted. She punched Naruto, making him stumble a bit to the left "_I _did everything, you jerk!"

"Yeah, but _I_ was moral support—"

"Boys, have you been keeping up with your studies?" Kakashi asked in his teacher voice.

Naruto pursed his lips and tried to find an answer (read: lie). Eventually he just sighed. "Yeah, I have nothing."

Sasuke didn't even deign Kakashi with an answer.

Kakashi frowned and shrugged. "Fine. Tomorrow you're going to have a test on the magical properties of the various mushrooms found in the Forest of Death"—he nearly smirked when they all looked away shamefully—"as well as the _disastrous_ effects that could happen to a witch's body if they ingested one."

Naruto coughed awkwardly. "Right." He shifted from side to side, trying to find a lie but ultimately failing. "I'm just gonna… yeah." Then he teleported away, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone under Kakashi's all knowing (as a result of being a bloody _well-hidden_ statue) stare.

"I'm going to the library," Sakura announced.

"I'll go with you."

Sasuke didn't miss the way Kakashi winked at them before the two teleported away, indicating he'd seen more than just the three of them getting high.

Crap.


	38. oread

**50alternates**

**Title:** to tame the wild beast  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #36 oread  
**Word Count:** 495  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"—and she's just so _annoying_!"

Itachi kept his gaze on the sword he was currently sharpening, but said an "I see" to let Sasuke know he was paying attention.

"I mean, she's basically useless at _everything_," the eight-year-old continued indignantly, pacing through Itachi's room in vicious stomps, "She's always saying 'hi' to me and then looking away and giggling. And sometimes she'll give me some of her snacks. And ugh, sometimes she asks me to _help _her with stuff! She's a girl! I don't _want_ her to touch my weapons!"

"Yes, how offensive," Itachi murmured. There was a small smile on his face, but Sasuke was too into his tirade to notice.

"Exactly! And gross! I mean, she's a _girl_!" Sasuke shouted. "But then it gets worse!"

"Does it?"

"Today…" Sasuke's face crumpled into a dark scowl as he plopped onto the floor and crossed his arms, looking every bit like a child having a temper tantrum. Which he was. "Today, Kakashi-sensei taught us how to fly with dragons."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. He knew Hatake Kakashi had a rather _unconventional_ training regime, but most students were trained in dragon riding when they were at least ten. Itachi himself learnt it at age seven; however, he was a special case. He was curious though as to how his brother faired.

"And were you successful?" Itachi asked. He looked mildly perplexed when Sasuke's face turned red and he looked to the side embarrassedly. "Sasuke? Is something wrong—"

"_Sakura_ beat me!" Sasuke yelled, hopping to his feet. "Sakura — useless, annoying Sakura — did _better_ than me!"

"I see," Itachi replied unsurely.

Sasuke resumed pacing. "She got along with her dragon on her _first try_! She was flying around _all_ practice! Hmph!"

"And what about you and Naruto?"

The boy snorted. "Well, obviously Naruto didn't get it. He's a complete moron."

"And you?"

"…"

"Sasuke?"

"…UM, _SHE IS SO ANNOYING_."

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle, infuriating Sasuke even further. Haruno Sakura's mother was a mountain nymph (a fact Itachi's was privy to given the secret snooping he did when his little brother's team was formed) which may have contributed to Sakura's ease with the dragon she trained with. Nymphs — even the ones that weren't full-blooded — had the way with wild beasts. He considered telling Sasuke this but decided not to let Sasuke think Sakura had some sort of advantage over him lest he get into his head that the girl would be "useless" (a word he seemed to like using in regards to her) without her nymph heritage.

"You should be careful, Sasuke. One would think you have a crush on Haruno Sakura with how often you complain about her."

And by "one" they both knew Itachi meant "mother."

Sasuke looked positively scandalized. "I do _not_ have a crush on her! She's _annoying_!"

Itachi nodded. "Yes, of course."

As Sasuke began ranting all over again about his female teammate, Itachi couldn't help but grin.

_Ah, young love. _


	39. fairy

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #29 fairy  
**Word Count:** 961  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

I watched _Tangled_ too many times this weekend. Favorite movie ever.

Also, I have a surpise after this piece! :D

* * *

"I refuse to believe you're the lost princess."

Sakura frowned. She never claimed to be some "lost princess" so she didn't understand what the man ("Sasuke," he'd said earlier) in front of her was being so prissy about. Well, other than the fact that he was currently tied up. She nervously fiddled the folds of her dress. Then with her necklace. Then her hair. She looked to her left where Naruto, the only companion she'd ever had aside from her mother, was scrutinizing their captive. Naruto finally turned to Sakura with his arms crossed. He shook his head, silently indicating his mistrust for Sasuke.

"Okay then," Sakura replied to the fairy. She twirled the iron skillet, hoping she looked confident even though she didn't really feel it. Sakura extended the skillet threateningly, but Sasuke didn't flinch.

Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked dryly, eyeing her choice of weapon.

Sakura's cheeks reddened. "Hmph!"

"Look," Sasuke drawled, clearly displeased with the entire situation, "I'm supposed to be finding someone right now. Apparently she's my fiancée or whatever – frankly, I don't care. However, I need to marry someone to be king and I'm not allowed to wed anyone but my _betrothed_."

The word came out rather mockingly as Sasuke said the word the way his mother usually did, talking about Princess Sakura of the Spring Kingdom. She always mentioned the girl wistfully, wondering what had happened to the baby whose parents, shortly after her birth, agreed to have her and Prince Sasuke of the Fire Kingdom engaged. Sakura had been stolen away from the Spring Kingdom castle when she only a few months old.

Naruto didn't believe Sasuke's explanation, however. He flew over to the captive, holding a glaring contest with a man more than thrice his size for a good minute until Sakura pulled him away.

Sakura, on the other hand, found the entire situation hilarious.

She laughed, clutching at her sides. "What, are you implying that _I_ am this 'lost princess'?" she asked him between giggles. "And that I have to marry _you_?"

He didn't seem as amused.

"No way!" Sakura said. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" The little fairy flew back to Sasuke's face and stuck his tongue out.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and decided he'd had enough. With a great show of strength, he ripped broke off the arms of the chair we was tied to, effectively loosening his bonds until he could fully escape. He suppressed a smirk at Sakura's shocked face.

Immediately, she got into a defensive position with her skillet and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to _hurt_ you, you moron," Sasuke muttered, swatting away Naruto when he tried to attack him.

"LIES!" she shouted as she backed away. "LIES AND DECEPTION!"

Sasuke sighed. "Look—" He was cut off by a pained yelp from the girl when she tripped over her own dress. He reached out to help her but was distracted by a glimmer between the folds of her shirt. Disregarding propriety, Sasuke pulled on the chain only to see a gold locket.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled when he yanked it off her neck. "That's mine!"

He ignored her in favor of pulling something out of his own shirt – a _matching_ locket. Sasuke held his up beside hers and pointed to the flame like engraving on the front. "This is my family's seal." He turned it around to show a small fan. "And that is my clan symbol."

Sakura's eyes were wide open. She took her locket back and held is defensively. "Why do you have the same locket as me?"

Sasuke could only stare at her incredulously. "Have you not heard a thing I've been saying? You're the lost princess."

"You said you refused to believe that!" Sakura pointed out.

He scowled. "Before. Now that I've seen your locket—"

Sakura snorted. "Just because we have matching lockets doesn't mean anything."

"Ugh." Muttering curses, he opened the locket to reveal two locks of hair, one as black as night and the other, _pink_. "See?" And she did. Sakura could only stare at the hair disbelievingly. "They did this when we were _babies_," he explained sullenly, rather annoyed that his mother had snipped off his hair so early on.

"But—"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Sasuke said feebly. He sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Look, I need to be king to protect my mother. Since my father died, too many men have been trying to win her hand and she's being pressured to either take a new husband or pass the throne on to me, which at the moment, she _can't_ do because I'm not married." He chose to keep out the problems regarding his older brother. "_Please_ just come back with me."

Nervous, Sakura took a step back. "But I don't even know you…"

"You will," he offered rather gently, "You'll know the _world_," he added, thinking about how she'd been kept in this tower since she was taken as a baby.

Sakura bit her lip. Her entire life she'd dreamt of seeing whatever was beyond the walls of her tower and finally it was possible. Sakura looked at Naruto for an answer. "What should I do?" she whispered, unaware that Sasuke could very well hear her. In response, the fairy smiled and winked and Sakura returned the gestures.

"O—okay, I'll come," Sakura told Sasuke in the most confident voice she could muster.

"Good."

"But _only_ if I can bring Naruto!"

Sasuke's lips fell into a flat line as he raised an eyebrow. "The fairy?" he muttered.

Sakura nodded eagerly.

He could only sigh.

"_Fine_."

**Fin**

* * *

So here's a little gift! These are a few things I started for this collection (some, up to about three years ago) but never got around to finishing and probably won't. Enjoy!

* * *

"So all I have to do is read the spell?"

"Yes."

"And you'll get a real body?"

"Yes."

"And you'll stop haunting my bedroom."

"_Yes_."

Sakura raised her hands defensively, frowning at the agitated ghost across from her. "I was just checking! One can't be too sure nowadays." She cocked her pink head in the direction of her bookshelf. "I _read_, you know. Fiction can be very influential…"

"Nonetheless, it is still fiction," he replied.

She fought the urge to swoon at his voice – smooth and rich. As much as she wanted to live a normal life, meaning one without a ghost haunting her new bedroom, Sakura was sure she would miss his voice. Not only his voice, though. He was good company, and very helpful with her history assignments.

"I might miss you a little, Sasuke," Sakura said with a small grin. "What exactly will you do when I give you a body?"

His dark eyes narrowed and he looked away from her.

* * *

"Hello, Itachi."

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered as he processed the words. If Sasuke remembered correctly, Itachi was off at his dorm room halfway across the country, not in his room. And the voice belonged to woman – one who was not his mother, so who would be talking to him? Confused, Sasuke opened his eyes.

"Ah, look who's awake!"

Sasuke frowned as he took in his surroundings; he was _not_ in his bedroom and the girl across from him was _not_ normal. She had pink hair somewhat covered by a birdcage veil and was donning a frilly dress and a tailcoat. She sat at a clean, white table, with what was probably tea in her cup, and untouched crumpets on her plate. Beside her, on another chair, sat a wolf that was minding its own business and lapping at whatever was in its bowl.

"Itachi, it has been a long time," she said with what appeared to be a forced smile.

"I'm not Itachi," Sasuke replied defensively.

At his words, the air grew tense and the wolf stopped ignoring him. When it raised its head, Sasuke stiffened at the sight of something _red_ staining its white fur. It bared its fangs at him and growled.

"Now, now, Itachi. No need to act like that."

"I'm _not_ Itachi."

* * *

"I have a problem."

Sakura sighed and sent Naruto a flat stare. "Of _course_ you do."

"No, seriously," he continued, oblivious to her annoyance. "Why does the bastard get a cool codename? He's _Basilisk_! Even you do, Sakura-chan – you're Wyvern. And then here I am. Really. _What the hell_ _am_ _I_?"

"Lindworm."

Naruto bristled and glared at Sasuke. He would have thrown a punch at the smirking boy but a stern, silent stare look from Kakashi spoke many words to Naruto: "If you move and give away our position, I will leave you alone to fight the centaurs and they _will_ be vicious, you little brat."

"Tsunade-sama named us after rare creatures, Naruto," Sakura explained slowly. "A lindworm is a monstrous snake—"

"Yeah but it sounds so _wimpy_!" he complained. "It has _worm_ in it, Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Shut up, idiot." His smirk widened. "Wimpy fits you."

Before Naruto could fall for Sasuke's taunts, Sakura cut in. "Well what codename do you want then, Naruto?"

"Hm…" Her plan worked and Naruto paused, trying to come up with an answer. "What about _phoenix_?" he suggested with a bright smile.

* * *

(continuation of chapter 7)

Sakura shivered, feeling the winds change and the climate drop as the man who tried to kill her stopped his game to glare at the person across from him.

Peaking over Sasuke's shoulder, Sakura observed Sasuke – the crazy bastard that managed to change her tormenter's demeanor so easily. His long, black hair looked was tangled as it settled over his shoulders, swaying ever so slightly when the winds picked up. His eyes were chilling and red, exactly like Sasuke's. He wore a long, black coat with nothing but a pair of dark pants beneath it.

Her green eyes roved over his body curiously, beginning from his feet. Had there not been such a choking air around them, she may have blushed at the sight of his muscular, bare chest. She then moved her gaze higher, only to lock eyes with his.

He smirked at her before the black commas against the red began to spin—

Suddenly, Sasuke raised an arm, breaking her gaze away from the stranger's.

"Leave her out of this."

"Who is she?" the man asked, examining Sakura as he spoke. "I do not believe I have seen such a strange girl in my realm before."

"Yes," Sasuke drawled. "That is because she doesn't belong here." His dark eyes narrowed threateningly. "And neither do you."

"Hn."

They shared their hateful staring contest until Sasuke reached into the pocket of his coat with glove-clad hands. He took out a pocket watch, its chain rattling rather loudly as he brought it closer to stare at the time. Sasuke's shoulders slackened and he let out a small sigh.

"Well…" he drawled, putting the item back in his pocket. "I do believe that it is _time_."


	40. cauldron

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #10 cauldron  
**Word Count:** 551  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

It was exactly twelve minutes after three in the morning when Sakura was awoken by a voice she was only capable of tolerating when she'd had at _least_ five hours of sleep.

"SAKURA-CHAN. WE HAVE A PROBLEM OF MOST EPIC PROPORTIONS SITTING IN YOUR LIVING ROOM."

Without those five hours, hearing _that_ voice typically provoked thoughts of torture and murder.

"IN PIECES."

Sakura groaned into her pillow before finally tossing away the covers. She grabbed her robe and stomped down the living room where she was sure the results of one of Naruto and Sasuke's late night… _excursions_ would be awaiting her.

"SAKURA-CHAN—"

"I'm _coming_!" she hissed, walking into the living. She glared at Naruto and looked around for Sasuke only to find him on the coffee table. And the couch. And the rug.

_The rug_.

"Oh, my god!" Sakura shrieked. She took the offending limb that was dirtying her way too expensive Persian rug. "NARUTO!" Furious, she threw the leg at him, only slightly satisfied when it made contact with his gut. "WHY WOULD YOU PUT SASUKE IN THE LIVING ROOM?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really? The bastard had an arm and leg torn off by those crazy ass zombies you sent us after and you're freaking out over him staining the furniture?" He poked one of Sasuke's stumps. "See? He doesn't even bleed." That much was true. As Sakura's little reanimated minions, their bodies didn't bleed, thankfully.

Sakura scowled. "But you're both covered in dirt, stupid!"

Sasuke finally joined in the conversation. "Because _you_ sent us to the graveyard to steal some more corpses for your stupid little experiments!"

"Hey!" Sakura said defensively, "I'll have you know that those _stupid little experiments_ are what brought you back to life _and_ what allows me to keep reattaching your stupid limbs!" With an annoyed grunt, she dragged Sasuke (most of him) to the kitchen where she then not so gently dropped him on the table. Naruto followed after her with Sasuke's arm and leg. As she searched her cabinets for the right cauldron she caught a glimpse of Naruto slapping Sasuke with the torn off arm and repeating: "Stop hitting yourself, bastard. Stop hitting yourself!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at their antics and pulled out the pewter cauldron she was looking for.

Sasuke looked at the glorified pot confusedly. "Why are you brewing a potion?" With his attached arm, he pushed himself into a sitting position and grabbed the other one back from Naruto. "Can't you just sew the limb back on like you always do?"

"I will," Sakura said snidely, biting back a remark that she knew how to do her job, thank you very much. "For your leg, that is."

"What?"

Sakura smirked as she gathered some ingredients for the necessary potion. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to grow back your arm." All too delightedly, she pointed at the limb Sasuke was holding – more specifically, at the pink-painted, oh so feminine finger tips. "Naruto grabbed the wrong arm, it seems."

Naruto barely dodged Sasuke's punch, cursing that the zombies didn't tear off his hitting arm. "You're loving this, aren't you?" Naruto mumbled as he rubbed the forming bruise on his shoulder.

"Maybe," Sakura said before cackling.

Sasuke glared at her. "Bitch."

"…WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Witch. I said _witch_."


	41. shapeshifter

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #38 shapeshifter  
**Word Count:** 824  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.  
**Note: **Just to clarify, this takes place in a world where there's magic _and_ guns and swords and that jazz.

* * *

"Apparently you've got a visitor, Pretty Boy."

Sasuke spared the guard a bored glance before looking ahead once again. The man was too busy locking his chains into the ground to notice him rolling his eyes. He had been captive in the Stone Prison for nearly seven weeks. Thankfully his guards knew better than to get too close to the infamous Uchiha Sasuke, one of the world's greatest hunters. While they would have loved to taunt the fallen man, self-preservation kept them away. Uchiha Sasuke, bound or not, was nothing if not resourceful. They all had a feeling he'd find something to do with those chains around his wrists and ankles if the opportunity arose.

"Great," one of the other guards muttered when he saw Sasuke's visitor. "Someone let another one of his groupies in?"

Sasuke frowned. _Groupie?_

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! Hey! Over here!"

The guard to his right whistled and smiled appreciatively. "Then again, I'm not too opposed to a visitor like _that_."

Meters away stood a tall woman with bright blue eyes and long blond hair donning a red dress that Sasuke barely considered a shirt. She wore a ridiculous white fur coat (that seemed completely unnecessary in the warm Stone Kingdom) and held a black cane topped with an ornate, gold fox head. She jogged up to them and immediately leapt onto Sasuke, wrapping her arms around his neck and all but hanging off of him.

"I've missed you _soooo_ much!" she cooed, finally letting go.

Sasuke scowled down at the offending woman. He refused to deign her with any questions. Instead, he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

_Who the fuck are you?_

As if she understood his message, she pouted and looked away shyly. "Sasuke-kun… it's like you don't remember me! But we had _such_ a great time back in Wave." She looked up and smiled. "We crossed one hell of a bridge in our relationship back in those days," she said with a wink. When Sasuke failed to make any sort of reply, she frowned and looked at the guards, waving her cane in another direction. "Could you guys, like… _go away_?"

Sasuke looked around at the open courtyard in the middle of the square-shaped prison where he'd been taken. Even if the five guards around him moved away he had no hope to escape. Twenty, maybe thirty, he could take, but _all_ the guards? Hell no. When they were finally a fair distance away, the woman smirked and held the cane out to him.

"It's not quite the Kusanagi but we can't be _too_ picky given the circumstances." Her grin widened as the disbelief on Sasuke's face grew more evident. "Can we now, you sorry _bastard_?"

"You shapeshifting little _shit_." Sasuke eyes narrowed. "Naru—"

He was cut off by the sound of gunfire. Sasuke watched, still in a state of shock, as the guards around him fell one by one, their heads all partly blown off. Sasuke looked over to the watchtower (the highest possible ground at the prison) and wasn't entirely surprised to see only the barely noticeable tip of a rifle poking out from one window.

"It's time to get you out of this shithole!" With a pop, the woman before him morphed into an oversized golden bear and yanked out the chains binding Sasuke to the prison. The animal turned back to Sasuke and somehow managed to flash him a cheeky grin. "Stop looking so surprised, bastard." As he swiped at the guards surrounding the pair, he continued: "Did you really think we wouldn't come for you?"

Sasuke merely picked up the cane and pulled on the fox head, pleased to find a blade – even if it was a thin one.

_Thank you… Naruto._

As they fought off what was left of the Stone Prison's guards, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder where their other third was.

"She's in the tower, isn't she?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the spray of blood his victim let out.

He heard Naruto chuckle. "Do you know a better sniper?" Naruto retorted. With a frustrated growl, he shifted into a giant falcon. "Time to go, jackass." Grabbing Sasuke's arm in his talons, Naruto flew away, ignoring the panicked cries from the guards below. Sasuke stiffened at the sight of all their guns focused on him and his makeshift getaway vehicle, but found comfort in knowing _she_ was in the tower watching their backs.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, bastard?"

"How pissed is she?"

If it was possible for birds to laugh, Naruto did – but then again, he wasn't a _normal_ bird. "Considering you _knocked her out_ so you could leave by yourself, only to end up in _that_ dump, I'd say we better stop for some flowers before you two meet up."

Thinking about the girlfriend he'd put into a minor magical coma those few months ago, Sasuke could only gulp at the prospect of seeing her again.

Silently, he prayed she wouldn't have her gun.


	42. centaur

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #24 centaur  
**Word Count:** 1205  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Sasuke looked from his teacup to the girl sitting across from him.

"Did you poison this?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and poured a second cup for herself. "Why would I do that?" she replied, smiling at him.

_Why? Because you had to come back to Stone to save my ass? Because I treated you like shit before? Because I knocked you out after you said you love me? _Twice_!_

"Hn."

Sasuke stared down at the tea in his cup, reluctant to drink it. He'd spent a whole three days with her and Naruto in a safehouse outside of the Earth Kingdom since they saved him. He had no idea how she escaped the prison watchtower on her own, but when she finally reunited with him and a finally human (and male) Naruto, things were less tense than Sasuke had expected. (And, thankfully, she didn't have her gun.) Sakura had smiled at him, welcomed him back and directed him to the shower. She gave him a brief hug or and politely asked how he was, but that was it.

She was infuriatingly _neutral_.

"How do you like the fox head blade?" she asked.

Sasuke made a face, expressing how he really felt about it. "It's… fine."

Sakura laughed. "It's no Kusanagi, I know." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "We'll get it back." Sakura knew just how important that sword was to Sasuke, given that it was the last thing his mother had given him.

The two fell into a painfully awkward silence and Sasuke cursed Naruto for his tardiness. All three were supposed to meet up and discuss their plans. When they discovered that Sasuke's Kusanagi – the one thing they knew he wasn't going to leave the Earth Kingdom without – was in the King's makeshift museum of his enemies' weapons guarded by the fiercest of centaurs, they knew their only option was to break in and get it. They were supposed to be making plans on how to go about that theft but Naruto was running late (he'd gone into the town to "have a little fun").

"The idiot's not coming," Sasuke concluded.

Sakura giggled. "At this point, I doubt it." She reached into her bag to take out a box of cookies and instinctively, Sasuke switched their cups instinctively. "Want one?" she asked, taking one for herself and showing no indication that she noticed what he did.

Sasuke looked at the cookies disdainfully. He hated sweets. She _knew_ he hated sweets. This was a test, wasn't it? She was taunting him.

"Are _those_ poisoned?" Sasuke asked without thinking.

Sakura finally glared at him. "I'm not some scorned woman who's plotting your death. I have no intention of _killing_ you Sasuke," she explained coldly. She finished the little dessert and washed it down with a large gulp of tea, staring at him pointedly.

Sasuke watched her carefully, finding no signs of paralysis or difficulty breathing. So his tea hadn't been poisoned, he mused, finally drinking what was originally hers.

Then he froze.

She simply sighed. "You switched the cups, didn't you?"

He wanted to nod and to glare at her. He wanted to curse at her and at himself for being so _stupid_ as to think he actually had _allies_. He wanted to ask her what the hell she did to Naruto to make sure he wasn't there with them, but he couldn't do anything aside from stare at her and think of hundreds of ways to extract some sort of revenge against her when he got some control back.

"You're so predictable," Sakura said, rising. She pulled a medical pack out of her bag and extracted a needle. Noticing Sasuke's eyes on the yellow liquid she sighed. "Like I said Sasuke, I'm not going to kill you."

"You…" Sasuke struggled to breathe as his body fell over. "Trai… tor…"

She snorted. "Well that's rich."

_Why would you bust me out of prison to pull _this_ shit?_ he wanted to ask. _What the hell are you _doing_?_

She seemed to hear his thoughts. "You have one hell of a bounty on your head, Sasuke."

When she forced him onto his back, Sasuke stared at her disgustedly. "Na… ru…"

"He's fine," Sakura said, looking away in shame. "I'm not proud of myself for lying to him… and drugging him… but I did what I had to." She moved his bangs away his eyes. "He's safe, I swear."

At the obvious scorn in his eyes, her composed façade faltered.

"Sasuke… I really am sorry."

As whatever drug she'd injected him with took its toll, he wondered if that apology he heard was just his imagination.

* * *

"This is not part of our deal."

Sakura glanced at Naruto, who was sleeping just as soundly as Sasuke on the floor. She sighed tiredly and poured two cups of tea. "Want one?" she asked her companion. Drinking her own, she smiled. Whether or not Sasuke switched their cups was unimportant. The entire pot was poisoned but she was immune to her own toxins.

"You offend me."

She shrugged. She didn't really think he'd be foolish enough. "Just keeping you on your feet," she muttered, putting the second cup back down. "Anyhow, I'll need you to watch Naruto as well."

"Oh?"

"Please? I asked nicely," Sakura said with a grin. His expression didn't change and she sighed. "_Please_? You know as well as I do neither of them will be welcome in Eden. The centaurs make sure that place is constantly guarded and by the _best_, at that. If anyone tries sneaking in, they're _slaughtered_! Naruto and Sasuke, given their…" Sakura cringed, "Given their _pasts_, they would never be allowed in."

"And they would allow _you_?"

Sakura pressed her palms against the wood by Sasuke's head, instantly growing a bed of roses. "I'm of the Earth. I have an actual chance of entry without breaking in," she explained as she stood up. She walked over to the cabinet across the small room to survey her weapons.

"All this for a sword," her companion drawled.

"For _Sasuke_'s sword."

He sighed. "How troublesome."

"Yes," she agreed, "but if we're going to get rid of _him_ once and for all, we're going to need Sasuke's help, and let's be honest, he's not nearly as effective without it. The Earth King had Binders from the Illyrian Mountains seal his powers into the sword and then gave the blade to the centaurs." Sakura smiled affectionately at Sasuke's sleeping face. "He's at half-mast right now, at best. I _need_ to get the Kusanagi back."

"Very well," he reluctantly replied. "You will retrieve the Kusanagi. I shall return take these two to the safehouse in Wave Country."

"Sure." She loaded her holsters while he carefully arranged the one boy over his shoulder and the other under his arm. "Be careful. You should stick off the main roads. The members of Squad Seven _are_ technically considered wanted fugitives, and you…" Sakura snorted and came to stand in front of him. "Well, you're… you."

He nodded once. "Good luck, Haruno."

Sakura grinned. "I don't need it."

He rolled his eyes. "Be careful," he said quietly, leaping into the trees without a proper goodbye.

"You too, Itachi."

* * *

1. yes, i suppose this is the continuation of the previous chapter. unfortunately, i don't think i can finish the entire series before this anthology ends (eight left!) so if anything, it'll be concluded on my livejournal, fourforyou.  
2. for the record, the last chapter was largely inspired by the first issue of _redhood and the outlaws _which i LOVE. jason todd is so hot. and badass.  
3. i really wanted to end that itasakuly, but it isn't! they're platonic! don't worry.  
4. i'm sorry if they're ooc. i haven't written _naruto_ in a while.  
5. kudos to whoever can figure out what i'm reading for my shakespeare class right now from this chapter! :D


	43. hero

**50alternates**

**Title:** the lost kingdom 3/3  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #12 hero  
**Word Count:** 1279  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

Continuation of chapter 33: dwarf and chapter 34: hawk. This was supposed to be the last part of that series buuuut I'm going to give it an epilogue. Enjoy!

* * *

.

More than anything, Sakura wanted to be a Hero.

At age seven, she'd heard _the_ Kakashi Hatake was in her village. News that the Fire Nation's most renowned Sorcerer and swordsman would be passing through her meager home was shocking. As the two ladies in her cousin's apothecary shop continued to gossip about his "buns" (which confused Sakura, because she liked her bread soft and chewy, not "firm"), Sakura secretly planned to seek the man out and demand he take her as his apprentice so that she may learn the ways of Heroism.

Needless to say, he didn't.

Sakura never actually got the chance to meet Kakashi Hatake. By the time she made it to the Fluffy Monkey (her village's sole tavern) where she was told he would be he'd disappeared.

Sakura prevailed, however. She continued to study under her older cousin about poisons and antidotes and necessary things until she turned fourteen. At that point her cousin sent her off to meet the former High Wizard of the Fire Nation, her cousin's former teacher. Of course, by the time Sakura was sent to become her apprentice, this "High Wizard" was a barely recovered alcoholic (meaning she was simply "cutting back" after being sober for three months) who seemed to enjoy throwing things at her under the guise of "teaching evasion" as "all medics need to be able to dodge whatever life throws at them."

Then, at the ripe age of nineteen the ex-High Wizard deemed Sakura _Worthy_.

Finally, _finally_, it was time, Sakura thought giddily as the High Wizard draped a turquoise pendant over her neck (apparently it had belonged to the High Wizard's grandfather). Finally, Sakura would become a Hero.

She went from village to village along the Fire Nation borders, saving people, protecting people, yada yada-ing people. She healed, she fixed, she fought. Surprisingly, the High Wizard's "evasion" exercises came in handy when random thieves thought it would be fun to throw knives at one's head. However, eventually Sakura stopped enjoying the smaller acts of Heroism. While she of course liked _helping_ people, she wanted to do something _bigger_.

She wanted to be like the High Wizard or Kakashi Hatake. She wanted some little girl to be cleaning shelves at their cousin's shop, struggling not to knock over any of the glass bottles while not so subtly eavesdropping on women discussing famous sorcerers and their choice of bread. She wanted that little girl to think, Well golly jee, I want to be a Hero like _Sakura Haruno_.

Then one day, as a hawk flew into her cousin's shop, she found her true calling.

A Hero—or, more specifically, a Hero_ine_—was needed in the Fire Nation.

.

* * *

.

More than anything, Sasuke wanted to be alone.

His birthday was tomorrow. In less than twenty-four hours, his entire kingdom would be totally utterly _screwed_. While he didn't quite know what would happen if he didn't meet the Sound Witch's condition, he was sure the outcome wouldn't be good. Kakashi never said anything but it was clear he thought the Fire Nation citizens would perish.

Grunting, Sasuke threw the empty glass of wine away from him. He rested his forehead against his palm and cursed under his breath.

"Knock, knock?"

Sasuke nearly jumped. He looked up to see Sakura walking towards his form on the carpet. "What do you want?"

Sakura shuffled awkwardly, chewing her lip. "Uh…" He noticed something in her hands and raised an eyebrow. Briefly, he wondered if she could see his irritated expression considering his darkened room. Eventually she came close enough to be illuminated by the fire.

"Cake?" Sasuke mumbled, seeing the dessert in her hands.

Sakura nodded. "Naruto told me that it was your birthday today, so, uh, happy birthday! I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier."

Snorting, Sasuke gestured to the empty spot beside from him. She sat down and handed him the cake. "It's red velvet. It's not _too_ sweet—I know you don't like that. When I was a kid, the baker used to make things in return for teaching him some techniques for easing aches and pains. See, my cousin was a pro at—" She suddenly stopped and looked at the folds of her dress. "Sorry. I know it annoys you when I just talk and talk. I should probably work on that—"

"It's fine," he interrupted, setting the dish down beside him.

"Right." Sakura smiled. "Well, happy birthday, Sasuke."

"My birthday's _tomorrow_," Sasuke corrected. Noticing her cringe, Sasuke sighed. "But thank you for the cake." When she made no move to leave Sasuke frowned. "You should go, Sakura."

She looked hurt. "Oh, yes. Sorry," she mumbled, moving away from him.

Sasuke shook his head. "No, I mean the castle. The kingdom. You should leave." At her confused stare Sasuke relented. "You're not an idiot, Sakura. You can surely tell the Leaf Kingdom is under the Sound Witch's curse."

"Yes, of course." Sakura smiled at him. "That's why I'm here, actually. I want to help you, Sasuke. I…" She looked away shyly. "I want to be a _hero_."

Sasuke chuckled softly. "The Leaf Kingdom is already doomed, Sakura."

"That's not true," she shouted. There was a fire in her eyes as she continued, "Not as long as someone is willing to fight."

"Fighting isn't an option," Sasuke pointed out, remembering Kakashi's words.

Sakura frowned. "Well every curse comes with a cure and most witches love to taunt their victims with them. Did the Sound Witch tell you what needs to be done?"

"Yes."

"And?"

Sasuke couldn't help but blush. "It doesn't matter. It's impossible."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Nothing is _impossible_, Sasuke! What is it?"

"It's stupid…"

Naturally, Sakura was intrigued. "Sasuke?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "It's… basically… I, uh… truelove'skiss."

"…pardon me?"

Sasuke's cheeks were red as he repeated himself. "True love's kiss."

Sakura blinked owlishly. "What?"

"I _said_," Sasuke ground out, her face turning redder and redder by the second, "True. Love's. Kiss." Then Sakura did something unexpected. She laughed. She clutched her sides and tossed her head back, pink hair flying about as she giggled and struggled for air. Sasuke glared at her. How dare she mock the troubles of his people with her _laughter_? "Listen—"

He was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against his.

Sasuke's eyes widened as Sakura moved her mouth imploringly. He figured he was supposed to be doing something aside from sitting there dumbly but his brain was too busy wondering what to do with his hands. And his eyes. And his _mouth_, oh god, his mouth. But Sakura seemed to have most of it figured out, he decided, as she gently pressed her tongue against the seam of his lips before eventually just going in for the kill. By the time Sasuke stopped feeling weirded out by the idea of someone else's tongue in his mouth and just where exactly he should put his hands (oh her arms, around her waist, in her hair, etc.) and the more obvious _close your freaking eyes_, the kiss was over and Sakura had moved away.

She smiled at him shyly and he cleared his throat, looking away. "That was… nice, I suppose," he began politely, looking at the floor, "but it only works if you're in love with me."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when the door to his chambers shot open and a blond blur ran inside.

"BASTARD. BASTARD. BASTARD, _LOOK AT ME. _LOOK AT ME. LOOK. LOOK. I AM TALL. I AM NO LONGER A DWARF, ASDFGHJKL, OH MY _GOD_. I JUST—I JUST—I JUST—OH MY GOD I JUST CAN'T."

* * *

_tbc_


	44. elf

**50alternates**

**Title:** the lost kingdom – THE EPILOGUE!  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #28 elf  
**Word Count:** 969  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

Okay so Sasuke may seem OOC, but I defend my babbling moron with the fact that in this world, he isn't totally emotionally stunted.

* * *

.

The Leaf Kingdom was wonderful.

Sakura loved the smiling people, the plethora of flowers, the banter between the Knights. The Leaf Kingdom was a beautiful, peaceful place. Anyone would be happy to settle down there. After the grand city was restored to its former glory, everyone chose to celebrate before returning to work. At this point, Sakura briefly considered staying.

However, a single feat did not make a hero—at least, not to Sakura.

Sasuke deduced this much when he found her packing up the few things she had taken with her. He smiled at her from the doorway, remembering the day she showed up in his castle. Itachi and Shikamaru had looked calculating and suspicious of her wandering about the castle. Naruto, on the other hand, bluntly asked her if she was a spy or another evil witch or a "fan girl." When she frankly told him she only wanted to help the Leaf Kingdom, Naruto had latched right onto her. In the months she spent in the castle Sasuke learned her true dream: Sakura wanted to be a hero.

"Are you leaving?"

He smirked when she jumped. She whipped around and glared at him. "You _scared_ me!" she hissed. She looked from him to her packed bag before frowning at the floor. "And yes. I am."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "I see. When?"

"Um." Sakura blushed. "To be honest I planned on leaving tonight."

He raised an eyebrow. "You weren't going to say goodbye to me then."

"Well, we haven't really said anything to each other since the curse was lifted so… yeah."

"About that…" Sasuke strode towards her and handed her a small package. When she looked at him questioningly, he rolled his eyes. "Open it, idiot."

Scowling, she slowly removed the paper around it. She blinked confusedly. "A compass?"

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away as a blush crept onto his face. "When my mother heard you helped er, _break the curse_ she said I should get you a present. And I knew you wouldn't care about jewelry because it's pointless when you're you, Little Miss Quester, and giving you a sword would have been dangerous since you haven't been trained with one, so I thought a compass would be better since, you know, yeah, and, um—"

She kissed him to shut him up.

Thankfully, this time it wasn't as awkward (for Sasuke, at least). This time Sasuke immediately put his hands on her, one hand lingering on her back and the other in her hair, cupping her head. His eyes were closed and his mouth was actually functioning. He was actually enjoying himself when she decided to pull away.

"You don't have to go," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.

She took a step back and snorted wryly. "No offense, Sasuke, but your actions thus far say otherwise. Aside from that kiss, at least."

Sasuke had the decency to look away in shame.

After the Leaf Kingdom woke up, Sasuke was swept into his mother's arms and forced back into his princely duties. He and Itachi were almost always with their father and in the few spare moments he had, he couldn't find Sakura anywhere. He knew it wasn't polite to leave her hanging after she _saved his kingdom_, but he…

Well, he was afraid.

"It's not that I don't like you," he babbled. He felt frantic when she went around the room to search for her cloak. "I'm just, you know, not in _love_ with you." She scowled at him embarrassedly from her place by the armoire and Sasuke cringed. "That came out wrong. I'm grateful for what your, um, kissing me and, you know, _loving_ me, but—"

"Please shut up."

"—I like you though," he admitted. "Again, not as much as _you_ like _me_—"

"Oh, my god…"

"—but I'd like to try. You're smart and you're a skilled warrior and you're kindofpretty so…" Sasuke shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. "Please stay?"

She remained silent and as every second passed, Sasuke's confidence dwindled. Maybe she never actually loved him. Maybe, she, student of that crazy old drunk lady that somehow became High Wizard those years ago, just knew her way around curses and somehow broke the Sound Witch's without actually loving him. Oh god. Maybe he just made an ass of himself for no actual reason.

"I can't stay, Sasuke. I um, _care about you_—" Sasuke snorted at the understatement, earning an embarrassed glare. "—but there's been trouble in the Elven Woods and they need help."

That took Sasuke out of his stupor. "Wait. The Elven Woods?"

She nodded. "Apparently there's been an uprising and innocents are being caught in the battle."

Sasuke suddenly perked up. He smiled gleefully before covering it up with his usual smug smirk, making Sakura rather wary. "The Elves are allies of the Leaf Kingdom, you know," he drawled, stepping towards Sakura. Their own city was located on very close to the Fire Nation's border to the Earth Kingdom. "I'm sure my father would love it if I used my diplomacy skills—" He ignored her derisive snort and muffled inquiry about the existence of said skills. "—to help them and reinforce the Leaf Kingdom's bond with them." Sasuke nodded to himself. "Yes. I believe I will be going to the Elven Woods."

Sakura gaped at him. "What?"

"Tomorrow," he added, completely ignoring her.

Sakura glared at him and pointed at him threateningly. "_I_ am the hero here, Sasuke!"

He grabbed her wrist to pull her closer, smirking down at her. "Yes," he agreed. "You'll save the Elves just like you saved my family and my kingdom." He smiled softly. "Just like you saved _me_."

With that, he kissed her.

And they lived heroically ever after.

**THE END.**


	45. wicked stepmother

**50alternates**

**Title:** the fairest of them all  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #22 wicked step mother  
**Word Count:** 220  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

HERE IS A DIALOGUE!FIC BECAUSE I CAN

* * *

"Everything about this situation is stupid."

"You're more than welcome to go back."

"…not _that_ stupid."

"You're the one who _insisted_ she accompany me."

"Of course I'd insist! When that crazy woman demanded Itachi _execute_ you, _obviously_ I knew I'd have to come and protect you."

"Seriously? _Protect_ me? _You_?"

"EXCUSE ME BUT I AM ONE OF THE SEVEN KONOHA KNIGHTS. THE _ELITE_. WHAT ARE YOU? OH, RIGHT, A SPOILED LITTLE PRINCE—"

"I could be a knight if I _wanted_ to."

"—WHO HAS TO _FLEE THE COUNTRY_ BECAUSE HIS WICKED STEP-MOTHER—"

"She's not my step-mother."

"—BY TECHNICALITY BECAUSE YOU ARE KING ITACHI'S HEIR AND SHE MAGIC-ED HIM INTO MARRYING HER—"

"Which I will damn well fix."

"—ANNNND I FORGOT WHAT I WAS SAYING."

"Surprising."

"Go to hell. Ahem. Right._ I_ am a renowned knight while you, Sasuke, are just a spoiled little _ex_-prince who has to flee his kingdom because his step-mommy's magic mirror told her that _he_ was prettier than her. I can totally see it though. I mean, you _are_ quite pretty."

"…"

"I mean handsome."

"…"

"Because you're a man."

"…"

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I hate you."

"Well, you better get used to me because I'm not going anywhere."

"You're stupid."

"Your face is stupid."

"…"

"And pretty."


	46. psychic

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #17 psychic  
**Word Count:** 413  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

I HAVE SO MANY YOUNG JUSTICE FEELINGS. I love this new Miss Martian. She's cold and calculating on missions but still has a heart when dealing with her teammates and their own issues, I think.

* * *

_Alpha Squad, we've been compromised. Retreat now._

Sakura could hear the urgency in Itachi's voice but ignored his orders. Things must have been dire if he was using the telepathic link between them. But she couldn't leave. She was there. _He_ was there. She had weaved through the maze-like confines of Orochimaru's base while hoping the rumors were false until she found what she was looking for.

_Athena._ Itachi's voice was a near whisper. _Retreat_. _Now_.

She knew of all people, Itachi sympathized with her. They'd both been shocked to hear that no, Uchiha Sasuke did not die at age fifteen during the Mission That Went Wrong in Sound. Rather, he's spent the past five years serving that country's snake-like Leader, stealing, killing, or destroying. Kakashi had immediately sent out his best team to verify the claims and Sakura wasn't going to leave Orochimaru's base until she knew for sure Sasuke was resting in peace.

And he wasn't.

_Sorry, Zeus_, she sent back solemnly. _But I found him_.

He hadn't changed. He certainly grew up from the fifteen-year-old she last recalled, now a bit taller and more muscular, but everything about him just felt the same. His hair was still in that same silly style and his eyes were still bloody, bloody red. He still radiated confidence and he still had a way of making her feel weak in the knees.

He was still Sasuke.

"How arrogant," he said coolly. "To name yourself after immortals."

Sakura took a step back when he began to approach her, not questioning how he managed to hear their conversation. "Or accurate," she countered. "People like us never seem to really die. Take yourself for example."

Sasuke smirked and something in her broke.

She remembered the Mission That Went Wrong as clear as day. It was she, Sasuke, and Shikamaru all led by Itachi to remove a Konoha informant from Sound after he'd been compromised. The man had been captured by Orochimaru before their team could get to him, requiring them to break into Orochimaru's stronghold to retrieve him, but the snake knew about them. Sasuke tried using his fire magic but the flames went out of control.

They all thought he burned that night.

"Still the team telepath, I see."

She scowled at his snide tone. "Believe me," she murmured, "I can certainly do much more than you remember."

He laughed. "You will _never_ be stronger than me, Sakura."

Her eyes glowed green and the fight began.


	47. brigadoon

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #8 brigadoon (a magical village that rises out of the mists every hundred years for only a day, according to Wikipedia)  
**Word Count:** 453  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

This is _sort of _a continuation to chapter 2 immortal, which was written nearly five years ago. I feel so old.

* * *

"You are _the_ most annoying soul _ever_," Sasuke muttered to the child sitting at his feet. His arms were outstretched and flailing, begging Sasuke to carry him to no avail. Sasuke and Sakura decided that the orphaned baby would be named Naruto, like he had been in his previous life. As per usual, he had blond hair that was quite dark at the moment, and bright blue eyes. "Seriously."

Sakura threw one of Naruto's stuffed toy frogs at Sasuke but he managed to dodge.

"Don't say that!" Sakura bent down and picked up Naruto, cuddling the child to her chest. "He's _sensitive_, Sasuke-kun!"

"He's one and a half," Sasuke pointed out. "He doesn't even know what I said."

"Sure he does." She gave the child an eskimo kiss. "Don't you, wittle bebe?"

Sasuke sighed as she started baby-talking. "Whatever, Sakura. Did you finish packing?"

"Of course." She put Naruto down and he waddled over to Sasuke, who stared at him for a good long minute before sighing and picking the boy up.

"You know," Sasuke began. He put Naruto into his baby sling and grunted at the boy's weight. "Normal married couples go to Tea Country and go for tastings or whatever."

"Well, we're not normal and we've been married for ages. I think a trip to Brigadoon would be a lovely way to spend our three-hundredth anniversary."

Sasuke and Sakura had known each other for thousands of years and had been the Keepers of the soul currently inhabiting the young Naruto for all of that time. Given the recurring pattern of him being orphaned, they decided that once, just this once, they'd take the boy in as their own to get a taste of parenthood. They were still young by their own standards and didn't particularly want to reproduce at the moment.

"We'll be stuck there for a hundred years," Sasuke mused, picking up a suitcase.

Sakura grinned. "It'll be nice. Aren't you a little tired of this world?"

Sasuke shrugged, not wanting to admit that she was right. This world _was_ getting kind of hard to live in. Pollution was horrible, the cities were overcrowded, there was that global warming thing going on, yada yada yada. Perhaps disappearing with that magical village _was_ a good idea. He knew a lot of Soul Keepers went there for vacations, so it couldn't be too bad.

"I suppose I can bear this burden," Sasuke said with a sigh, looking down at Naruto for some pity. The boy giggled and clapped at his surrogate father.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you're _such_ a victim."

"Tch, I married _you_ didn't I?"

"…you're so lucky you're holding the baby right now or I'd totally clobber you."


	48. underwater

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #20 underwater  
**Word Count:** 852  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Or Avatar.

Yes, this is crossed over with Avatar (sort of). Please, please, **please do not leave any spoilers about Legend of Korra in your messages**! I haven't watched since the third episode annnnd yeah.

* * *

"She's useless."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "She's not useless, Sasuke."

"She's weak and she's annoying." Sasuke shook his head and pointed to where Sakura sat with Naruto, both perched on separate rocks in the stream. "Look at her!" Sasuke hissed. "She's not even teaching him!"

"Every element has its own way of being taught," Itachi quietly pointed out. "It took weeks before I could teach Naruto the _basics_ of waterbending."

"And why are they in the stream?" Sasuke asked. "She's supposed to be teaching him _earth_bending. Where's the logic in that?"

Itachi sighed. "Sasuke, I know you don't appreciate me asking your ex-girlfriend to teach Naruto earthbending, but Sakura is a master and was the best choice."

Sasuke scowled. "She's not my ex-girlfriend."

The elder Uchiha paused, stroking his chin as if in thought. "Yes, that is true. For her to be your ex, that would imply you ended things with her. Rather, you left her on a bench."

"…EXCUSE YOU BUT—"

Sasuke was cut off when Naruto fell into the water. Sasuke looked back at the pair and noticed the rock Naruto had been sitting on disappeared while Sakura's was still held in place. The water was only a foot deep but Naruto came out drenched. He stood up straight and pouted at her. "Pebblebending is hard, Sakura-chan!" the Avatar whined.

She laughed. "Did you just call this _pebble_bending? All we're doing is gathering bits of the Earth, Naruto." He watched her make a few a movements of her hands, raising mounds of pebbles to create stepping stones for her to use to get back to the shore without getting wet. "I'm taking a break. You stay here and practice molding." When she made it back to the shore, she was greeted by an angry looking Sasuke. His arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed. Sakura shifted under his scrutiny before scowling back. "_What_?"

"With Madara's attack looming, the Avatar's time is precious," Sasuke hissed. "If you're not going to teach him earthbending then we'll find someone who _can_."

Sakura frowned at Sasuke. She _knew_ that Naruto needed to master earthbending as soon as possible but she didn't need this crap from Sasuke. She was a proficient earthbender and she would get through to Naruto eventually. _Everyone_ started slowly. Sakura knew that the Uchiha brothers were protective of the Avatar. It was their place as the last remaining members of the clan that always protected and served him or her. Still, there was no reason for Sasuke to have been treating her so rudely ever since Itachi requested she complete the Avatar's elemental training.

She took a step away from Sasuke's frustrated form. "I realize that, Sasuke."

"Then act like it!"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. She'd had enough of this crap. Before he could do anything she used her metalbending skills to turn his armor against him, leaving him wrapped in twisted pieces of iron.

"I don't know what your problem is," she began, "but you're being really rude, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorted. "I think there are bigger issues out there than my apparent _rudeness_—"

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Sakura yelled, pushing him over. She took delight in watching him struggle against his bonds on the floor. "I don't get why you're so _angry_ with me! _You_ left me, remember? I'm here helping the Avatar not just because it's the right thing to do, but for _you_." He made no reply and her expression hardened. "Sasuke, I'm not here to seduce you or make you feel guilty," she said quietly. "This isn't about you and me. I moved on—"

"I know."

She looked down at him and was confused by the resigned look on his face.

He sighed. "Will you let me go?" She unwound the iron bindings and returned his armor to its original state. Sasuke stood up but continued to stare at the floor. "I just… I'msorry."

Sakura frowned. "Pardon?"

"…I'm sorry," he repeated. "For, you know, the bench thing."

He noticed her wince and couldn't help but do the same. Apparently neither of them remembered that night very well. He left their hidden village three years ago back when he was fifteen to help Itachi find the Avatar and protect him from Madara so that they could restore the Uchiha clan's honor. It wasn't a night he enjoyed thinking about and clearly she didn't like to remember it either.

"Right."

"Yeah."

"I… I can forgive you, I guess," she said, taking his hand in hers. Sakura looked up at him with a shy smile. "Eventually." She let go and turned away to go back to Naruto, who'd once again fallen under the water.

Sasuke stood there watching her mold the earth to her whim until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you fix things with your ex-girlfriend?" Itachi asked wryly.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

Itachi sighed. "Sasuke, your behavior—"

"She's not my ex-girlfriend."

"What?"

She smiled at him from her little self-made island and gave a small wave.

He returned the gesture before smirking at Itachi.

"We never really broke up."


	49. wizard

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #44 wizard  
**Word Count:** 565  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"_Naruto_?" Sakura frowned, looking down at the little munchkin in front of her. "Is that you?"

When she saw a yellow blur running through the doors of the throne room, Sakura assumed it was her teammate. However, after noticing his size, she wasn't too sure.

The blond lamented momentarily at the fact that Sakura, the girl whose head he more often than not used as an arm rest, was now so much taller. "_Yes_!" he shouted. Naruto's arms flailed wildly as he grabbed the hem of her dress and began to pull her. "Now hurry up, Sakura-chan. You have to help the bastard!"

The king cleared his throat.

"I mean the prince. You have to help the _prince_!"

The queen stood up from her throne and peered down at Naruto calmly. "What happened to you, Naruto?" As far as Mikoto knew, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi had gone out into the Black Forest for some training. Unfortunately, Sakura had to stay behind to help a woman and her young child who had come to her for some healing magic.

"Seriously!" Sakura was struggling not to laugh at his new appearance. "What happened to you?"

Naruto scowled. "That stupid Bitch of the Black Forest cursed us!" His face crumpled and he pointed to himself. "LOOK AT ME. SHE TURNED ME INTO A DRAWF!"

Mikoto only smiled humorlessly. "Yes. That seems to be a problem."

Sakura couldn't help her giggle. "And what about Kakashi-sensei? And Sasuke?"

"She turned Kakashi-sensei into a scarecrow." Naruto's face darkened. "And… well she knocked out Sasuke."

"Knocked out Sasuke?" Sakura repeated, rather confused. How could a strong warrior like _Sasuke_ have let himself be beaten by the B—Witch of the Black Forest?

Mikoto put a hand on Sakura's arm to calm the young girl. "Please elaborate, Naruto. How did this happen?"

Naruto's cheeks flushed. "Well… it was an accident. Long story short, we fell for a stupid trap and she cursed all of us. For Sasuke… well she put him in some enchanted sleep and said he'd have to be woken up by his One True Love." Naruto snickered. "Then she told me good luck since Sasuke's too much of a priss to have a One True Love."

Sakura snorted while Mikoto nodded wisely.

"The boy's been put under a magical coma then?" The three looked over to the king who had yet to leave his throne. He looked positively annoyed by the entire situation, most likely utterly embarrassed by the fact that his son was defeated so easily by the Witch of the Black Forest. Fugaku sighed and stood up. "Very well. Haruno, go forth and fix my idiot son."

"WAIT, WHY DO _YOU_ GET TO CALL HIM NAMES BUT I—"

"_What_?" Sakura punched Naruto in the gut to shut him up, not once looking away from her king. She laughed uneasily. "W—what makes you think that I'm Sasuke-kun's One True Love, my lord? Because, I mean, it's not like we're having some secret affair or anything while sabotaging all of the girls who are trying to make you choose them as his betrothed or whatever. Because we're not. Not at all. I'm not. I'm _soooo_ not his One True L—"

"Haruno."

Sakura gulped. "Yes, my lord?"

"I'm asking because you and Hatake are the only wizards in this kingdom that could reverse the spell."

"…I knew that."

* * *

**SOME FUN FACTS:**

- When I first started this anthology back when I was fifteen-years-old (nearly five years ago) I wanted to be fancy and have some Latin title. I literally looked at a list of Latin words and their meanings and went with what had the "deepest"-sounding meaning and went with _audeamus_, which translates to "let us dare." True facts.

- There are some unfinished sets in this anthology: The Wonderlands (chapter 5: villain, chapter 7: ghost), Royal Pain (chapter 6: prince, chapter 8: apprentice), Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox (chapter 10: treasure, chapter 11: air, chapter 23: naiad, chapter 32: water, chapter 36: dragon), The Haunting of Konoha Asylum (chapter 19: spirit, chapter 25: curse), what I'm temporarily calling Uchiha Sasuke and the Outlaws (chapter 41: shapeshifter, chapter 42: centaur) – these will, I hope, be completed one day, and if so, that will happen on my livejournal, fourforyou.

- I've had so much fun working with this anthology of AUs so I'm considering making something for myself along the lines of "50moderns" with some self-assigned prompts like "quarantine," "camera," "cable-car," and so on. It would be pretty much like this, although focusing on a modern world rather than ones full of fantasy. What do you guys think?

- I was googling myself because I'm lame and I found a critique of _audeamus_ (and a bunch of other SasuSaku fics) on someone named voldy06's insanejournal. I got a "meh on the writing style" and realized that whoever reads the first bunch of chapters of mine from, you know, years ago, reads me back when I was in my second-person-fics-are-soooo-cool phase. GOD. DAMMIT. But I do like to think I've grown a lot since then and that much has been recorded in this anthology. So thank you all soooo much for bothering with this anthology!

- And lastly, I actually have the next and final chapter completed already so you won't have to wait too long! :D


	50. castle

**50alternates**

**Title:**  
**Author/Artist:** ohwhatsherface  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Theme:** other world, #09 castle  
**Word Count:** 683  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

For the sake of coming full circle, here is a continuation to chapter one!

* * *

In the end, they ran away together.

Neither was particularly proud of some of the results – a humiliated fiancé and an abandoned king – but Sakura remained at peace with her decision. In the end, a week after the date of her marriage to the king is set, she met Sasuke in the shadows of the castle stable and they rode out of the Land of the Leaves, abandoning their duties. They travelled eastward for days, stopping only to let the horses take their rest. They made their home in a small village in the mountains where Sakura lived as a healer and Sasuke, as a huntsman. They built a small cottage towards the outskirts of this village with the help of the townspeople who were eternally grateful to "Hana" and "Izuna" for their services. The place was quaint and it was no castle but to Sakura, it was everything. They never talked about the Land of the Leaves, nor did they ever hear about it. They were never formally wedded but they were certainly married in their hearts.

Their uneventful life together was disrupted ten years later when Kakashi showed up at their door with a little girl in his arms.

Sakura touched the girl's hair, marveling at its silkiness and black-as-night color. She wondered who the girl's parents were. When her son shuffled in his sling, clearly ready to wake, Sakura closed the door to girl's makeshift room and went back out to see Sasuke and Kakashi staring at the floor solemnly.

"Sir Kakashi," Sakura greeted with a bow.

He nodded at her. "Princess." Kakashi glanced at the bundle against her chest and smiled at the mop of black hair. "I take it that the two of you have been busy."

Sakura flushed ever so slightly and moved to stand beside Sasuke. "Well—"

"Enough," Sasuke interrupted. He glared at Kakashi. "How did you find us?"

"I've always known where the two of you were," Kakashi admitted. "I found you two years after you disappeared." The old man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly tired. "Naruto knew, you know. That the two of you were in love. He tried everything he could to get you out of the engagement, Princess." When the room grew silent and tense, Kakashi continued, "I'm here because the young Princess – Naruto's daughter sleeping in the next room – she's in grave danger."

Sakura frowned at him, rocking the baby when he began to make noises. "What's wrong?"

"When Queen Hinata died in childbirth seven years ago and bore a _girl_, the elders were, naturally, outraged, but Naruto refused to remarry until recently." Kakashi looked at Sasuke gravely. "I don't know what it is about the new _queen_, but I—no, _we_, the knights, all fear she is one of Danzou's agents."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "And what does this have to do with my family?"

"The queen…" Kakashi shook his head. "She is a cruel woman and makes no effort to hide her dislike for the young princess, who she fears will one day take the throne from her and her master." Kakashi then reached into his pack and removed a scroll. He tossed it to Sasuke, who caught it instinctively. "Your mission details are there, Sir Sasuke."

The former knight scowled. "I'm no longer—"

Before Sasuke could question his intentions, Kakashi disappeared into a swirl of leaves.

Sasuke cursed, his hand clenching around the mission scroll. Sakura put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Should we read it?" she reluctantly asked.

Sasuke snorted. "Mission details are supposed to be confidential, wife."

"Is that so?" She smirked and wrapped her arms around him, conscious of not squishing their son. "If this _mission_ involves protecting Naruto and Lady Hinata's daughter in our household, I think I get to hear all about it, husband."

"I _suppose_ that's true," Sasuke muttered, pretending not to enjoy her closeness. "You're sure you don't mind taking on one last mission for the Land of the Leaves with me, _your highness_?"

She grinned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**fin.**

* * *

**Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with this story all these years! I appreciate your patience and your reviews. You've all kept me going with this and I'm glad I finally finished it. You've all been so supportive all this time so **_**thank you**_**! This anthology has been so much fun to write and I think it's been a huge growing experience for me. Thank you all! **


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